BRUSSELS, Nov 25 (KUNA) -- EU Commissioner for Industry Stephane Sejourne urged on Tuesday the European Union to "double its efforts" to reduce its strategic dependence on China.
In an address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Sejourne said China's restrictions on exporting rare earths have "directly targeted Europe" warning that the EU's limited access to these strategic minerals remains "alarming", despite Beijing's announcement last month of a one-year suspension of some of those curbs.
He added that China "dominates the global rare earths market" noting that these elements are vital for sensitive industries, including electric vehicles, computers, and fighter aircraft.
The Commissioner stressed that "the time has come for Europe to rise to the challenge", emphasizing that Brussels must "double its efforts" to reduce dependence on Beijing for rare earths and other critical materials.
Sejourne noted that the restrictions announced by Beijing in April were followed by even stricter measures in October, including a "de facto ban" on rare-earth export licenses for military use.
He pointed out that the October restrictions were suspended for one year following a meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping last month, "but the April measures remain largely in force".
Sejourne said export licenses granted by Beijing for critical minerals are being issued to European companies "sporadically and in limited quantities," warning that this "jeopardizes" supply chains in the EU's automotive and energy sectors.
The EU Commissioner also revealed part of the Union's plan to secure access to critical minerals, the details of which will be presented next week with the launch of the "RESourceEU" initiative.
He indicated that the plan includes establishing a "European Centre for Critical Raw Materials," which will serve as a supply hub at the EU level. (end) arn.ibi