On 3 December 2025, the European Commission adopted the RESourceEU Action Plan, a major step to secure the European Union’s access to critical raw materials such as rare earth elements, cobalt and lithium. The initiative builds on the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) and introduces targeted financing tools, new governance structures and coordinated actions designed to protect European industry from geopolitical and price shocks.
The goal is straightforward: reduce strategic dependencies, diversify supply chains and accelerate projects that strengthen Europe’s resilience. The Action Plan brings together demand aggregation, joint purchasing, stockpiling, and fast-tracked permitting, all supported by up to €3 billion in the next 12 months for priority projects that can provide alternative supplies in the short term.
A European Critical Raw Materials Centre will be established in early 2026 to coordinate these efforts. It will provide market intelligence, steer strategic projects and manage diversified supply chains. In parallel, work on EU-level stockpiling, joint purchasing and export restrictions for key scraps, such as waste from permanent magnets, will enhance Europe’s recycling capacity and reduce exposure to global volatility.
The EU will also deepen cooperation with resource-rich partners, building on its 15 existing Strategic Partnerships. New negotiations with Brazil, investment frameworks with Ukraine and the Western Balkans, and cooperation through G7 and G20 platforms will further strengthen global diversification.
How this connects to REE-FLEX
As Europe accelerates its transition towards resilient and autonomous value chains, the REE-FLEX project is directly aligned with the ambitions of RESourceEU. Ensuring secure access to separated rare earths requires not only mining and recycling but also high-performance separation technologies, a capability where Europe still depends heavily on external suppliers.
Stéphane Séjourné, Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy, summarised the moment clearly:
“Today, Europe acts on its independence in critical raw materials. With the RESourceEU Action Plan, we are equipping ourselves with the tools we need to accelerate our own production, and diversify our supply, of critical raw materials.”
REE-FLEX plays a crucial role in establishing this supply chain by advancing individual rare earth separation through solvent extraction, a decades-old industrial method now ready for modernisation.
Within REE-FLEX, Carester and KU Leuven are developing next-generation solvent extraction technology for both light and heavy rare earths. Using the nitrate route, and integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and real-time analysis, this innovation is designed to:
- significantly reduce OPEX and CAPEX,
- lower the environmental footprint of separation processes,
- and increase feedstock flexibility.
Based on the developed flowsheet, the project will deliver a modular solvent extraction pilot unit (skid). Carester will use this skid to support European and international customers in designing the rare earth separation plants of the future. This hands-on industrial validation directly supports the EU’s objective to build resilient, competitive and low-impact critical material value chains.
