EU and US Sign Critical Minerals Agreement

On 24 April 2026, the European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Maros Sefcovic, and US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, signed the EU-US Critical Minerals Agreement (CMA) in Washington, DC. The objective is to secure supply chains of #CriticalMinerals vital to the #EnergyTransition and Defense Readiness.

The CMA builds upon the Critical Minerals Action Plan (#CMAP). Initial discussions on this subject matter started during the Biden Administration in March 2023.

The Parties note the strategic vulnerabilities posed by an overconcentration of the entire value chain in China. The Agreement seeks to prevent joint projects from being undercut by non-market pricing pressures. It also elevates Critical Minerals from mere commodities to National Security Assets.

In particular, the Agreement allows for Critical Minerals extracted in the EU to count toward the US Electric Vehicle (#EV) Tax Credit under the US Inflation Reduction Act (#IRA). The CMA also commits to high standards in the mining industry, with due consideration for labor rights and environmental protection.

The Agreement is open to other like-minded parties, such as Australia and Japan. In the future, the bilateral agreement might evolve into a plurilateral agreement to build a Critical Minerals Supply Chain independent of China.