The EU warns at the G20 about the "militarization" of critical minerals and is expanding partnerships with Africa.

Brussels, November 23, 2025 – The President of the EU Council, António Costa, warned during the G20 session dedicated to a "fair and just future" that export restrictions on critical minerals risk slowing down the energy transition and affecting the competitiveness of European industries. Costa emphasized that using these restrictions as a geopolitical tool contradicts open trade and the multilateral order.

According to the statement, global demand for essential minerals will grow rapidly as countries accelerate the transition to clean energy. Currently, the production of these resources is "extremely concentrated," and supply chains traverse only a few jurisdictions, exposing economies to major risks in the event of restrictions or disruptions.

Costa stated that the "weaponization" of restrictions, observed "in recent weeks," puts pressure on the stability of global supply chains and forces the EU to continue the process of diversification and de-risking. He noted that countries that do not wish to be perceived as "reliable partners" must consider the consequences, in a context of increasingly intense geopolitical competition for access to strategic resources.

Africa is presented as a key player for the future global industrial architecture. African countries have significant reserves, and Costa highlighted the opportunity to develop local value chains, from extraction to processing and the production of technologies for clean energy, avoiding re-entering the "resource curse" that has limited economic development in the past.

On the sidelines of the summit, the EU and South Africa signed a new strategic partnership regarding value chains for sustainable minerals and metals, which adds to existing agreements with Namibia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, and Rwanda. Costa specified that these agreements are based on common interests and the creation of "fair, safe, and sustainable" jobs, both on the African continent and within the European industry.

The statements were made during the third session of the G20 summit, dedicated to equity and the global economic transition. The EU's priorities in the field of critical minerals are established through the Critical Raw Materials Act and the economic security strategy, which aims to reduce external dependencies and strengthen the resilience of supply chains.

https://2eu.brussels/articol/stiri/ue-avertizeaza-la-g20-asupra-militarizarii-mineralelor-critice-si-isi-extinde-parteneriatele-cu-africa