Modern Social Science Research

As the global energy transition accelerates and the digital-intelligent industry continues to advance, critical raw materials which serving as the foundational support for these sectors have grown increasingly vital. At the same time, the geographical concentration of these resources and the mismatch between supply and demand have endowed them with inherent geopolitical significance, making the construction of critical raw materials supply chains a key focus of nations’ foreign policies. The European Union, with its relatively weak internal production capacity for critical raw materials, has long relied on global markets for supply. However, with the advent of an era marked by geopolitical tensions, the EU has grown concerned about the vulnerabilities in its critical raw materials supply chains. Consequently, it has taken measures to achieve strategic autonomy in this domain to safeguard its own interests. This paper employs a historical analysis approach to examine the evolution of the EU’s critical raw materials strategy, aiming to deepen the understanding of its strategic evolutionary path.

European union; Critical raw materials; Strategic autonomy; European commission