The United States and the European Union have formally established a partnership in the extraction and processing of critical minerals. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at ensuring the security of rare earth element supply chains.
The key objective of the agreement is to reduce dependence on China, which currently controls a dominant share of the market. While Rubio did not directly mention Beijing during the signing ceremony, he emphasized that Western allies can no longer ignore the risks associated with resource monopolization.
“The over-concentration of these resources, the fact that they're dominated by one or two places, is an unacceptable risk. We need diversity in our supply chains,” Rubio stated before signing the document.
The memorandum establishes a legal and organizational framework for collaborative projects between the US and the EU. The parties intend to coordinate investments in extraction in order to create alternative infrastructure capable of ensuring the economic resilience of the West amid escalating geopolitical tensions. Analysts view this move as an urgent effort by Washington and Brussels to regain control over the resource base necessary for high-tech manufacturing and the defense sector.