<\/p>\n
The EU is struggling to free itself from dependence on China and countries in the global south for critical minerals and rare earths needed for everything from smartphones to wind turbines and military jets.<\/p>\n
A damning report by the European Court of Auditors (ECA) in Luxembourg found that the bloc\u2019s targets for 2030 were \u201cout of reach\u201d because of lack of progress in domestic production, refining and recycling.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is therefore vital for the EU to up its game and reduce its vulnerability in this area,\u201d said Keit Pentus-Rosimannus, the ECA member responsible for the audit.<\/p>\n The report, which examines the EU\u2019s ability to meet its target of 42.5% of energy from renewables in 2030, exposes a gulf between rhetoric and reality.<\/p>\n In one of the most damning conclusions, it notes that not only is mining and exploration \u201cunderdeveloped\u201d in the EU but \u201ceven when new deposits are found, it can take 20 years for an EU mining project to become operational\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThis makes any concrete contribution by the 2030 deadline hard to imagine,\u201d the report notes.<\/p>\n It comes as UK prime minister Keir Starmer agreed to accelerate cooperation with Japan on critical minerals during talks in Tokyo on Saturday with his counterpart, Sanae Takaichi.<\/p>\n Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, has convened a summit of about 20 countries in Washington<\/a> on Wednesday to coordinate diversification of mineral supplies, including the lithium, nickel, cobalt, copper, and rare earth elements needed for solar panels, wind turbines and car batteries.<\/p>\n