Greece has become one of the 13 EU members states that were given the green light to proceed with projects aiming to bolster Europe’s raw material independence, with the Greek initiative focusing on the rare mineral gallium.
The announcement was made on Tuesday, March 25, with the European Commission approving 47 strategic projects, which target 14 of the 17 critical metals outlined in the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), such as lithium, aluminium and nickel. CRMA seeks to ensure that the extraction, processing and recycling of strategic raw materials in Europe will cover 10 percent, 40 percent and 25 percent of EU demand by 2030 respectively.
The Greek project is a joint venture by Metlen Energy and Metals and European Beauxites, mining beauxite, aluminum, aluminium and gallium.
Stephane Sejourne, Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy hailed the decision as “a landmark moment for European sovereignty,” emphasizing the need to boost domestic production and secure diverse supply sources. “Europe depends too heavily on third countries for critical raw material,” he said. “This changes now.”
The 47 projects will require a total investment of 22.5 billion euros ($24.2 billion) in order to become operational. They are located in Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Estonia, Czech Republic, Greece, Sweden, Finland, Portugal, Poland and Romania. All approved projects meet strict environmental, social and technical standards and will benefit from streamlined licensing and enhanced funding access and support from the European Commission, member states and banks.
They cover one or more part of the raw materials value chain, with 25 projects involving mining activities, 24 processing, 10 recycling and two raw material substitution.
In January, German financial newspaper Handelsblatt noted that Greece could emerge as a key player in securing Europe’s needs for the rare earth metal gallium.
“Greek company Metlen Energy & Metals SA is investing €295.5 million in the European Union’s first gallium production line. According to the company, production is scheduled to begin in 2027, aiming to completely replace Europe’s gallium imports by 2028,” the paper said.
It details Metlen’s next moves, citing statements made last week by Evangelos Mytilineos, the company’s CEO and major shareholder. Quoting Mytilineos Handelsblatt wrote: “In this way, we enhance Europe’s self-sufficiency in critical raw materials and bolster Greece’s strategic position in the global market.”
Gallium is included on the US and EU lists of critical minerals, owing to geological scarcity. China has recently announced restrictions on the export supplies of both gallium and germanium products, citing national security reasons.
The EU has urgently called on aluminum and zinc companies to investigate the production of key semiconductor metals.
Gallium arsenide has a similar structure to silicon and is a useful silicon substitute for the electronics industry. It is widely used in semiconductors for high-speed and high-frequency devices such as smartphones, satellite communications and radar systems. It primarily exists as a secondary element in bauxite ore, with its production primarily being a by-product of aluminum refining.
It is is a versatile metal with a range of applications across various industries due to its unique properties, including a low melting point, non-toxicity and ability to form alloys.
