Tuesday, 7th October 2025, from 12:00 to 13:30 h. CEST (UTC+2). Venue: CSIC Assembly Hall (C/ Serrano 117, Madrid).
Secure and stable access to critical minerals is decisive in today’s geopolitical environment and for the future of the twin green and digital transitions. Lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, gallium, tungsten, boron, and rare earths are indispensable to produce batteries, semiconductors, wind turbines, solar panels, electric vehicles, as well as for the aerospace and defence industries. Without them, it is unthinkable to advance toward strategic autonomy.
Aware of this challenge, the European Union has launched the European Critical Raw Materials Act, aimed at strengthening critical capacities across all stages of the value chain and “increasing our resilience by reducing dependencies, while promoting sustainability and circularity in the supply chain.” To this end, it seeks to diversify suppliers, promote mining and refining within EU territory, and expand recycling capacities.
The roundtable addresses issues such as the EU’s ability to secure access to critical minerals, possible ways to reduce dependencies, and the investments and policies needed in the European mining sector. An essential event to understand how the management of critical minerals will be key to advancing strategic autonomy, security, and sustainability.
Hashtag: #MineralesCríticosUE
Welcome:
- Carlos Closa Montero, Vice-President of Organisation and Institutional Relations, CSIC.
- Rosa María Mateos, Director of the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain (IGME-CSIC).
- José Juan Ruiz, Chairman, Elcano Royal Institute | @ElcanoJjRuiz
Roundtable:
- Gonzalo Escribano, Senior Fellow and Director of the Energy and Climate Change Programme, Elcano Royal Institute | @g_escribano
- Gerardo Herrera, Research Professor at the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain (IGME-CSIC), and national expert at the European Commission’s DG GROW.
- Virginia Rodríguez, Researcher at the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain (IGME-CSIC).
- Lola Yesares, Researcher at the Andalusian Earth Sciences Institute (IACT-CSIC).
Moderator: Miguel Otero, Senior Fellow, Elcano Royal Institute | @miotei
Image: Detail of a piece of antimony ore, the main source of antimony. Photo: CSIC.
