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Rare earths are key components for the energy transition and climate-change mitigation strategies. We often say diversification of the critical-raw-material (CRM) supply chain is a must to meet ever-growing demand. Climate change is a global issue and no single country or a geographic region can solve it alone, nor implement the mitigation strategies and supply of CRMs for the enabling technologies.  Media reports on the topic are often sensationalised and not based on the facts. We cannot successfully build an industry by finger pointing or making false claims. International cooperation and investment across geographic regions are the way forward, not fear mongering among stakeholders.

Join us in Brussels! We are organising a panel session on international cooperation and investment for a diversified rare-earth-element (REE) value chain as part of the Raw Materials Week events with partners from Europe, North America and Japan.  The panellists in the session are drawn from diverse positions in the REE value chain, but face similar challenges with regard to market entry or capacity expansion. We will also discuss in depth region and national legislative initiatives such as the Inflation Reduction Act and the EU Critical Raw Materials Act, and evaluate whether international initiatives like the Minerals Security Partnership will prompt investment in the CRM sector and so on.

The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies has just released an extensive report on Advancing European Mineral Security, with first-hand insights from the industry on the challenges and opportunities for strengthening their position within global supply chains The report highlights that geopolitical clout is increasingly intertwined with the control of CRM and strategic technologies, enabling supplier states to coerce others to align with their geopolitical interests.

In this week’s lead article, our colleague Prof Wei-Qiang Chen investigates the flow of dysprosium in the USA. The results show that US domestic demand experienced a 45-fold growth trend, with several fluctuations and shifts among applications. The findings suggest that meaningful REE-mineral production in the USA is restarting, and that it is important for industry to seek international collaboration to boost product competition. 
Other stories include updates from REIA members Appia Rare Earths and Energy Transition Minerals, REE market updates, e-mobility and geopolitical news.

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The Rare Earth Industry Association (REIA) is an international non-profit organisation representing the global Rare Earth Elements industry, founded in June 2019 under the auspices of the EIT RawMaterials Internationalisation project GloREIA. Several SUSMAGPRO partners are members and support the development of the association.