Publisher: IRMO – Institute for Development and International Relations
Year: 2025
ISSN 2757-0614
In the new issue of IRMO aktualno, Research Assistant in the Department for International Economic and Political Relations Leona Knežević Mužić explores the strategic challenges the EU faces in securing rare earth elements (REEs), essential for green technologies, digital devices, and military systems. China dominates the global REE market, creating geopolitical vulnerabilities for the EU, threatening the EU’s green transition and energy security. To reduce reliance on China, the EU views Ukraine and Greenland as potential alternative sources of REEs. However, they both come with internal challenges and compete with the U.S. geopolitical interest as the author highlights in the article. The article also considers the EU’s next steps to avoid losing its autonomy over key technologies and becoming increasingly dependent on importing critical raw materials from China.