KNOWLEDGE AND ENLIGHTENMENT OF THE EU LIST OF CRITICAL RAW MATERIALS (2020)

The European Union (EU) has updated the list of critical raw materials (CRM) for the fourth time based on the Raw Materials Initiative(RMI). The new list includes 30 raw materials, with 4 new items (lithium, bauxite, titanium and strontium) added and one (helium) reduced compared with the 2017 version. The release of the new list and related research documents is an important continuation of the EU supply diversification strategy of raw materials and also further support for the EU's Green Deal to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. Starting from the three backgrounds, i.e. the EU's demand for mineral products, the external dependence on the CRM supply, and the security and stability of CRM supply chain, the paper summarizes the current assessment methods of CRM list and relevant mineral industry policies in EU by comparing the fourth update of CRM list with previous versions, and puts forward the enlightenment of strengthening the international mining market layout, enhancing the ability to guarantee the domestic resource demand, the value-added capacity of the whole industry chain, as well as the technology of metallurgy and recycling based on the coupling relationship of critical (strategic) minerals between the three economies of China, the United States and EU, and the actual situation of China.