For decades, Europe’s industrial strategy relied on a familiar recipe: innovation, regulation, open markets, and environmental leadership. This approach worked well in an era when technology drove competitiveness and raw materials were globally accessible. But the green transition has exposed a critical vulnerability: Europe cannot innovate its way out of mineral dependency. The technologies shaping the 21st century—batteries, electric motors, hydrogen systems, solar panels, and semiconductors—are mineral-intensive. And Europe does not control the key resources.
This reality forces a question Europe has long postponed: can the continent build a minerals-first industrial policy?
What a Minerals-First Policy Means
A minerals-first approach recognizes that material security underpins industrial competitiveness. Mining, processing, recycling, and mineral diplomacy would become central, not peripheral, to Europe’s economic model. Upstream and downstream sectors would be integrated, and political sensitivities around mining would be confronted decisively to secure Europe’s resource base.
Currently, Europe is far from this ideal. Yet the pressures of the next decade make such a strategy not just desirable, but essential.
Unlocking Europe’s Geology
The foundation of any minerals-first policy is geology. Europe possesses significant deposits of lithium, rare earths, copper, nickel, cobalt, and graphite. Yet these resources remain largely untapped due to slow permitting, high environmental sensitivities, and cautious political leadership. Strategic reforms are urgently needed—if mine approvals take a decade, Europe risks falling behind before the race even begins.
Building Processing Capacity
Industrial autonomy is impossible without domestic processing facilities. Europe cannot depend on China to turn raw materials into usable chemicals and alloys. Processing requires energy, capital, land, and political support. Europe must incentivize the sector with subsidies, guaranteed offtake, streamlined permitting, and industrial zones dedicated to metallurgical facilities. Importantly, European processing can operate under strict environmental standards, making it cleaner than much of the global competition.
Recycling and Circular Economy
Europe has the potential to become a global leader in circular materials by 2040. But recycling is a long-term solution—it cannot supply sufficient volumes until end-of-life products accumulate. Still, investing now in battery recycling hubs, magnet recovery plants, copper extraction centers, and urban mining will ensure future supply reduces dependence on primary extraction.
Strategic Mineral Diplomacy
Europe must transition from extractive diplomacy—simply importing raw materials—to mutually beneficial partnerships. This means helping resource-rich countries build refining capacity, governance structures, and high-value employment. It also requires strategic competition with China and the United States, which have long used minerals as instruments of geopolitical influence.
Mobilizing Finance
A minerals-first strategy requires scale. Mining and processing projects demand billions of euros. Europe must leverage public and private capital through blended finance, loan guarantees, equity participation, and long-term industrial contracts. Without robust funding, Europe risks losing projects to regions with stronger financial support.
Public Legitimacy
No policy can succeed without social acceptance. Citizens must understand that responsible mining in Europe is essential for the green transition and preferable to depending on minerals sourced abroad under lax environmental standards. Political leaders must communicate this clearly—sustainable domestic production protects both the planet and Europe’s industrial future.
Minerals as the Cornerstone of Europe’s Future
A minerals-first industrial policy does not compromise environmental values—it reinforces them. Sustainability requires domestic capacity, not outsourced impact. Europe cannot lead the global green transition while relying on imported minerals produced under conditions it would never allow at home.
Europe now faces a decisive choice. By building a minerals-first strategy, the continent can secure its industrial and technological leadership. Hesitation risks relegating Europe to the role of consumer in a world defined by resource control. Minerals are destiny. Europe must choose whether to shape that destiny—or surrender it.
