IN an effort to reduce dependency on China, the European Union (EU) has initiated negotiations with the Democratic Republic of Congo, a major source of battery minerals, with plans to engage other African countries for securing critical raw materials, according to a senior EU official. The move comes as part of the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act, which aims to establish alternative sources for minerals crucial to the transition to a lower carbon economy.
Elisabetta Sartorel, the EU’s policy officer on critical raw materials, announced the upcoming talks during a virtual presentation at the Zimbabwe Chamber of Mines annual general meeting. She revealed that a delegation from the EU would be visiting the Democratic Republic of Congo in June for discussions. Sartorel also expressed the EU’s intention to initiate negotiations with other countries in the Great Lakes region, including Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, and potentially Tanzania.
‘We expect, in the near future, to launch negotiations with other countries in the Great Lakes region, particularly Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, and perhaps Tanzania as well,’ Sartorel said, highlighting the EU’s focus on diversifying its sources of critical raw materials.
The EU’s critical materials partnerships, already established with countries such as Canada, Kazakhstan, Namibia, and Ukraine, offer investment opportunities, collaboration on research and innovation, infrastructure development, and skills enhancement. Sartorel emphasised that once a critical materials agreement is signed, both the EU and the partner country will jointly develop a roadmap of concrete actions to be implemented.
However, the EU faces an uphill battle to catch up with China, which currently dominates supplies of key minerals. According to the EU’s critical raw materials plan, a staggering 63 percent of the world’s cobalt, a crucial component for electric vehicle batteries, is extracted in the Democratic Republic of Congo, while 60 percent of it is refined in China.
The EU’s pursuit of partnerships with African nations reflects its determination to diversify and secure the necessary materials for the transition to a more sustainable, low-carbon economy, reducing its reliance on a single dominant supplier.
