Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA)

Critical raw materials are materials of economic importance that are not energy or agricultural commodities. They are exposed to high supply risks, often because supply is highly concentrated in a few countries. Some critical raw materials are also designated as strategic. Strategic raw materials are of strategic importance for the functioning of the internal market and are used for technology within the green and digital transition as well as for defence, aviation and space applications.

a) Antimony – critical raw material
b) Arsenic – critical raw material
c) Bauxite/alumina/aluminium – critical and strategic raw material
d) Barite – critical raw material
e) Beryllium – critical raw material
f) Bismuth – critical and strategic raw material
g) Boron – critical raw material (boron of metallurgical grade is a strategic raw material)
h) Cobalt – critical and strategic raw material
i) Coking coal – critical raw material
j) Copper – critical and strategic raw material
k) Feldspar – critical raw material
l) Fluorspar – critical raw material
m) Gallium – critical and strategic raw material
n) Germanium – critical and strategic raw material
o) Hafnium – critical raw material
p) Helium – critical raw material
q) Heavy rare earth elements – critical raw material
r) Light rare earth elements – critical raw material
s) Rare earth elements for permanent magnets (Nd, Pr, Tb, Dy, Gd, Sm and Ce) are strategic raw materials
t) Lithium – critical raw material (battery-grade lithium is a strategic raw material)
u) Magnesium – critical raw material (magnesium metal is a strategic raw material)
v) Manganese – critical raw material (battery-grade manganese is a strategic raw material)
w) Graphite – critical raw material (battery-grade graphite is a strategic raw material)
x) Nickel – battery grade – critical and strategic raw material
y) Niobium – critical raw material
z) Phosphate rock – critical raw material
aa) Phosphorus – critical raw material
ab) Platinum group metals – critical and strategic raw material
ac) Scandium – critical raw material
ad) Silicon metal – critical and strategic raw material
ae) Strontium – critical raw material
af) Tantalum – critical raw material
ag) Titanium metal – critical and strategic raw material
ah) Tungsten – critical and strategic raw material
ai) Vanadium – critical raw material

Companies that intend to build a new facility, make a significant expansion or change the use of an existing facility that is active in the extraction, processing or material recycling of critical raw materials are covered. Such projects are called critical raw materials projects. For a project to be subject to the permitting process deadlines, it must be recognised as a strategic project by the European Commission.