Highlights

• The EU has established a robust regulatory framework for critical raw materials. There are real opportunities to achieve the set objectives. However, this requires an active raw materials policy that covers the entire value chain and makes full use of both primary and secondary resources.
• Supporting innovation in this area will reduce waste and negative externalities.
• There is great potential in new recycling methods that will enable a more efficient and circular global system.
• Supporting innovation in product design, including through the substitution of critical raw materials, can serve as a source of raw materials, thereby reducing pressure on natural resource deposits.

Poland is seeking to harmonise the EU framework arising from the Critical Raw Materials Act as much as possible, particularly initiatives such as EU strategic projects, with national programmes for the exploration of critical raw materials. This harmonisation will improve coherence, accelerate implementation and maximise results across the entire value chain

– said Deputy Minister Krzysztof Bolesta during the meeting.

Ministers agreed that international action on critical raw materials, both within and outside the EU, should include instruments to counter unfair global competition and non-market-based supply chain disruptions. It is important to establish platforms for aggregating demand and joint procurement, such as the EU Critical Raw Materials Centre. Poland supports the establishment of the European Critical Raw Materials Centre as a tool to strengthen security of supply in the EU, whilst ensuring close cooperation with national analytical structures.

The main objective of Poland’s National Programme for the Exploration of Critical Raw Materials is to enhance raw material security by identifying domestic mineral deposits that could serve as a source of critical raw materials for the Polish and EU economies.

Anthropogenic deposits, which are integral to the development of a circular economy, are an important complement for achieving the objectives of the EU Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA). In many cases, materials previously considered waste can, given current technological capabilities, constitute a valuable source of critical raw materials. However, realising this potential requires further analysis and an appropriate regulatory framework.