Rare Earths, Rare Opportunities: The EU’s Strategic Gamble

Rare earths power the technologies we rely on every day, from smartphones and electric vehicles to wind turbines, advanced weapons systems, and AI infrastructure. Yet despite their growing importance, Europe remains heavily dependent on supplies and processing capacity controlled by a handful of countries, especially China. What happens when access to these critical materials becomes a geopolitical bargaining chip? In this episode of EU Untangled, we sit down with Dominika Remžová, Research Fellow at the Central European Institute of Asian Studies, to unpack the mechanics behind rare earths. We explore why rare earths matter, how China came to dominate global supply chains, and whether the EU can realistically secure a more resilient and independent source of critical raw materials. Guest: Dominika Remžová, Research Fellow at the Central European Institute of Asian Studies and ESRC-funded PhD researcher in Politics and International Relations at the University of Nottingham Hosts and producers: Victor Aguilar & Alexander Roth Research and communication support: Martina Domladovac Further reading: ”Rare Earth Elements” (International Energy Agency) “Critical raw materials” (European Commission) “European companies look to France for domestic rare earths sector” (Financial Times) “Commission selects 13 Strategic Projects in third countries to secure access to raw materials and to support local value creation” (European Commission) “De-risking critical mineral supply chains: Rare earths and European sovereignty” (Brussels Institute for Geopolitics) “Towards a European sustainable beneficiation of rare earth elements bearing minerals: a review” (Science of The Total Environment) “The EU wants to escape China’s grip on critical minerals. Can it afford to?” (Politico) “From chips to turbines: Europe depends on these critical rare earth materials” (World Economic Forum) “How Europe is vying for rare earth independence from China” (BBC) “What are rare earths and critical minerals – explained in 30 seconds” (The Guardian) Listen … to a few of our previous episodes: “Robert Schuman: The Architect” “2025: The year untangled” “Can Europe cash in on the digital euro?” “Explaining the EU: one meme at a time (with DG MEME)” “Can the EU have an army?” “How to land a job in the EU?” Subscribe: Spotify Apple Podcast RSS Feed Contact Website E-Mail Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Threads Mastodon Bluesky