Trade in critical raw materials (CRMs): Main challenges

Briefing 02-09-2013

EU industry depends almost entirely on a handful of countries for imports of 14 critical raw materials (CRMs). These are of high economic significance and are at particularly high risk of supply shortages. Geographical concentration of CRM production, growing global demand and a tendency of main suppliers to apply export restrictions to reserve CRM stocks for domestic industrialisation has rendered access to CRM markets increasingly difficult.