Commission Decision on the designation of certain critical raw materials projects as strategic projects in accordance with Regulation (EU) .../... of the European Parliament and of the Council

Key Chapter Title List

1. Legal Basis and Decision-Making Background
2. Project Application and Completeness Review Process
3. Assessment Criteria and Methods (Including External Expert Support)
4. Contribution to EU Strategic Raw Material Supply Security
5. Consultation and No-Objection Procedure of the European Critical Raw Materials Board
6. Notification Obligations and Information Protection Provisions
7. Decision Text: Project Designation
8. Annex: List of Strategic Projects (Including Project Promoter, Address, and Name)

Document Introduction

This document is a formal administrative decision adopted by the European Commission on 25 March 2025, pursuant to the powers conferred by the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and Regulation (EU) 2024/1252 of the European Parliament and of the Council (the Critical Raw Materials Act). The core objective of this decision is to formally designate a set of projects of significant importance in the extraction, processing, recycling, or substitution of strategic raw materials as "Strategic Projects" within the strategic framework of ensuring a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials for the EU.

The decision first elaborates in detail on its legal and procedural basis. In accordance with Article 7 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1252, the Commission launched a call for applications for the designation of strategic projects on 23 May 2024, with a deadline of 22 August 2024. During this period, a total of 124 applications were received from Member States, of which 122 were deemed materially complete by the Commission under Article 7(1) and (4) of the Regulation. Subsequently, the Commission informed the European Critical Raw Materials Board, established under Article 35(1) of the Regulation, of these complete applications and forwarded the complete applications to the Member State where the project is located.

The assessment process followed the strict criteria set out in Article 6(1) of the Regulation, focusing on the project's contribution to the security of supply of strategic raw materials for the EU, technical feasibility, sustainable implementation, and cross-border benefits. The assessment work received professional support from external experts with expertise in the technical, financial, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) dimensions of projects, as well as the United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC). For applications that clearly did not meet the assessment criteria, the Commission completed the assessment without recourse to external experts. The consolidated opinions of the external experts form the basis of this decision.

Upon completion of the assessment and after consulting the European Critical Raw Materials Board, the Commission confirmed that all projects listed in the Annex meet all the criteria of Article 6(1) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1252 and that no objections were received from the Member States where the projects are located. Therefore, the Commission formally adopts this decision pursuant to Article 7(9) of the Regulation, designating the 47 projects in the Annex as Strategic Projects. The Annex to the decision details in tabular form the promoter (company name), promoter address, and project name of each designated project. These projects cover various value chain segments for critical raw materials such as lithium, cobalt, graphite, manganese, and rare earth elements. The projects are geographically distributed across numerous EU Member States including France, Spain, Portugal, Finland, Germany, Sweden, Czechia, Poland, Romania, and a few associated third countries (e.g., Canada).

This decision is a key step for the EU in implementing its critical raw materials strategy, reducing supply chain dependencies, and enhancing industrial resilience. In accordance with the Regulation, designated Strategic Projects will receive priority support in areas such as permitting and access to finance to accelerate their implementation. The Commission will notify all applicants of this decision and the reasons for its assessment in accordance with Article 46 of the Regulation concerning the protection of business secrets and sensitive information, and will formally provide the decision to the European Critical Raw Materials Board and the relevant Member States.