From lithium to arsenic, which Latin American nations is the EU going to source raw materials from?

euronews (in English)

As the EU's demand for critical raw materials such as lithium is unmet, the EU is signing agreements with like-minded Latin American countries to bridge the gap.

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00:00Which Latin American countries is the EU looking to rely on for its critical raw materials?

00:11The war in Ukraine increased Europe's awareness of its dependence on Russian gas,

00:16forcing the EU to reconsider where it sources the raw materials needed for the energy transition.

00:22Although the EU's overall demand is not fully met, a few member states still produce critical raw materials.

00:29France produces 76% of hafnium used in the EU, while Belgium produces 59% of the arsenic,

00:39Finland produces 38% of nickel, and Spain produces 31% of strontium.

00:47Of the 34 critical raw materials on the EU's list, 25 are extracted in Latin America.

00:54While Brazil is the most important supplier of critical raw materials from Latin America to the EU,

01:0179% of the EU's supply of refined lithium originates from Chile.

01:07A trade agreement with Chile is set to come into force in February

01:11and will be the first to contain a chapter dedicated solely to energy and raw materials.

01:17In December, the EU and the South American trade bloc Mercosur also reached an agreement

01:22to lower and remove various export tariffs, as well as eliminate some export restrictions.

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