Critical Raw Materials: Finding Common Ground

Lithium, cobalt, nickel, rare earths...: At the heart of the energy and technology transition, critical materials have become one of the keys to global economic change. Essential for batteries, power grids, digital technologies and many defense systems, they are central to the low-carbon transition and new economic rivalries. Yet the production and processing of these resources remain highly concentrated in a limited number of countries.

This concentration weakens supply chains in a context marked by geopolitical tensions, the fragmentation of international trade and the return of industrial policies, while raising important environmental and social issues.

In response with these challenges, the governance of these strategic resources becomes central. How to reconcile security of supply, low-carbon transition, industrial imperatives and environmental requirements, while promoting the development of producer countries and mobilizing recycling, innovation and sobriety? What forms of international cooperation could help to avoid a confrontational approach?