ALUMINIUM INDUSTRY VOICES SUPPORT FOR CRITICAL RAW MATERIALS & NET-ZERO INDUSTRY ACTS ACTSACTS BUT CALLS BUT CALLS FOR INCLUSION OF ALUMINIUM

European Aluminium, the voice of the entire aluminium value chain in Europe, welcomes the recent release of the Critical Raw Materials and Net-Zero Industry Acts. Together, these proposals constitute a long-overdue first step towards recognising the need for a European industrial policy that helps secure access to the raw materials needed to underpin the twin transition and a series of other strategic priorities. European Aluminium emphasises aluminium’s crucial and widely recognised role as a ‘strategic raw material’ in the green transition and urges policymakers to include it in the Critical Raw Materials Act.

“Europe’s increasing reliance on quasi-monopolistic third-country suppliers constitutes an unacceptable vulnerability in today’s precarious geopolitical climate. The proposed Critical Raw Materials Act represents a positive first step towards addressing this issue. We welcome the Commission’s recognition of the need for trade defence when justified as well as their proposals for reducing administrative burdens and providing support for access to finance. However, we are perplexed that aluminium, which plays a crucial and irreplaceable role in the green transition, has been omitted from this proposal. If this future legislation is to achieve its stated ambitions, it must be designed so as to encourage and facilitate European production in order to secure the future of Europe’s industrial base and guarantee an appropriate degree of strategic independence. With this in mind, we will work closely with the European Council and Parliament with a view to including aluminium in the Regulation, mirroring the value chain approach laid out in the Net-Zero Industry Act,” comments Paul Voss, Director General of European Aluminium.

Aluminium is set to play a critical role in Europe’s transition to a sustainable future, as it is a key component in nearly all clean energy technologies prioritised in the Net-Zero Industry Act, including solar PV systems, wind turbines, grid technologies, and batteries.

According to a recent study by Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, aluminium demand is expected to grow 30% by 2030 thanks to aluminium’s use in clean technologies, highlighting the material’s strategic importance in achieving the EU’s climate

targets. Consequently, European Aluminium stresses the need to preserve and enhance the capacity to produce and recycle aluminium in Europe.

The European aluminium industry is facing a critical setback due to the ongoing energy crisis. As a result, primary aluminium production has plummeted by 50%, and if the issue remains unaddressed, it could lead to a permanent closure of capacity. Unfortunately, this crisis adds to the long-term decline of Europe's aluminium industry, which has already lost