A powerful shift is underway in Europe’s strategy for securing essential resources. As Roman Stiftner, Managing Director of the Austrian Mining and Steel Association, explained, “The European Union recognized that it's crucial to get more resilience in the supply chain, the whole value chain from the raw materials, to processing and recycling.” In an interview at PDAC 2025 with Critical Minerals Institute (CMI) Director Stephen Lautens, Roman highlighted that the EU’s Critical Raw Material Act aims to mine at least 10% of key raw materials within the Union, increase processing capacity to 40%, and ensure 25% of materials come from recycling. These targets, he acknowledged, are “aggressive numbers,” but they underscore Europe’s dedication to achieving greater independence and forging stronger partnerships with reliable jurisdictions such as Canada.Stiftner noted that “there is a one stop shop” for mining permits in the EU, with “25 months for an extraction project and 15 months for recycling and procession,” which he believes is critical to attracting Canadian investors. Addressing the common perception of European bureaucracy, he insisted that “there is a kind of change in the mindset,” citing new measures to reduce regulatory hurdles for the mining sector. Interest has risen markedly, and he observed that “some investors are very interested in investing in Europe” as Europe seeks to bolster energy security, supply-chain resilience, and technological advances in areas like wind power, defense, and digitization.Beyond expediting permitting, Stiftner emphasized that “having reliable partnerships matters” in raw material security. He referenced the 170 projects identified across strategic raw materials, which indicates a clear opportunity for Canadian companies. According to him, “raw materials are not seen any more as a free trade commodity. Raw materials are strategic.” and forging deeper connections between the EU and Canada can serve both sides well, particularly given the shared values and mutual commitment to developing stable, sustainable, and transparent supply chains.
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