Fifty MEPs would like clarification from the European Commission on the impact of the transition to electric mobility « Geographical Strategic Dependence » The European Union is a third country and to what extent the availability of raw materials will have an impact on the prices of electric cars.
As mentioned by the portal Euro ActiveMEPs refer to a study by a Belgian university KU Leuven, where the authors warned that the EU would have to increase investment in European mining activity to prevent dependence on other countries. Without new investments in local mines and processing plants, Europe will remain dependent on imports of raw materials such as lithium, nickel and cobalt, as well as rare earth elements.
Currently, about 65 percent of cobalt is mined in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, most of the lithium is in South American mines, while the largest reserves of nickel are found in Asia.
“The study concluded that bottlenecks for these commodities and copper are likely to emerge without increased global investment in mining, at least until 2030, and for some of these commodities until 2040,” According to the members of Parliament, who are demanding clarification from Brussels on how it intends to tackle these issues and ensure that dependency is reduced.
“If the policy continues to insist on the complete electrification of personal transportation and we do not allow any competition between alternative fuels, including e-fuels and biofuels, then all the promises of the European raw material supply policy will remain just rhetoric on paper,” is for Euro Active Barbara Thaler, a member of the European Parliament in the Austrian parliament who was the first signatory, warned that Europe should reduce its dependence on raw materials, not just transport them.
A solution in biofuels?
Her initiative, according to reports uractiva Supports the biofuel industry, highlighting the potential for domestic fuel production. It’s biodiesel A locally produced and applied solution to decarbonize the transportation sectorDirector of Public Affairs of the European Commission for Biodiesel Gateway, which can contribute to the economic development of rural areas Andre Paula Santos.
It is because of the lack of raw materials, Europe in « Weak position »Sinead Kaufman, CEO of global mining giant Rio Tinto, also warned. “Without a better supply of regionally sourced raw materials, there is a threat of a supply crunch, which puts European industry at a potential disadvantage,” She wrote and particularly emphasized the weakness of the European auto industry.
“More work is needed to encourage new mining projects as it takes several years to discover and develop new deposits, requiring significant upfront capital investment and ongoing community involvement.” Kaufman said.
New mines in the European Union are opening very slowly, often opposed by local communities who fear the harmful impact of mining on the environment and human health.
Reliance on foreign batteries
The European Union has decided to ban all passenger cars equipped with internal combustion engines after 2035 in pursuit of targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The use of electric cars is currently increasing in Europe, and it is approaching that deadline Expect Increasing demand and consequently increasing reliance on importing batteries.
Today, the largest battery producer is Asia, with China, Japan and South Korea at the fore, followed by North America, and in third place Europe. As key battery components such as cobalt, lithium and nickel are scarce in Europe, the continent is almost non-existent. completely Depend on imports.
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