Europe is gearing up for the battle for raw materials

Brussels In the hectic weeks after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Chancellery and Ministry of Economic Affairs made an alarming discovery: nobody in the Berlin ministries had systematically dealt with the question “What if?”. There was no contingency plan to stop gas supplies from Russia – just blind faith in the reliability of the Russian regime. A similar scenario is now threatening important raw materials such as rare earths or lithium.

When it comes to gas, the emergency has already arrived: the Russian extortion of raw materials is hitting an insufficiently prepared country. That shouldn’t happen again in the Federal Republic.

Under Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, the Ministry of Commerce is trying to find substitutes for Russian gas and oil – while trying to reduce dependencies on minerals such as rare earths. The Green politician has commissioned his party friend Franziska Brantner to ensure the supply of “non-energy raw materials”.