At GIGA Europe 2026, Dr. Florian Anderhuber, Euromines Deputy Director General, joined a high-level panel discussion on building sustainable supply chains for Europe’s strategic raw materials. The session focused on the impact of the EU’s new Corporate Sustainability Directive on the battery sector and highlighted the importance of securing the entire battery supply chain through diversity, resilience, and sustainability.
Key Takeaways:
Responsible is reliable
The EU mining sector has a strong incentive to operate responsibly. Responsible production not only upholds ESG principles but also fosters reliability and trust. In a context of growing geopolitical and market uncertainty, domestic production remains one of Europe’s most dependable sources of supply.
Value and costs
Responsibility creates value, but reliability comes at a cost. When these costs are absorbed upstream, EU raw material producers may face competitive pressures that can weaken supply security. Clear mechanisms are needed to share both the value and the costs of responsible production across the entire supply chain.
Demand and supply
Responsible production also requires responsible markets. Cooperation across the value chain, clustering demand and supply, and moving beyond lowest-price procurement will be key to creating a resilient ecosystem. The second call for Strategic Projects under the CRMA offers an opportunity to integrate these considerations into evaluation processes.
Panellists:
Euromines thanks the fellow panellists for a valuable exchange: Bill Williams (Baltimore Aircoil), Stefan Crets (CSR Europe), Kaisa Toroskainen (Global Battery Alliance), and Famke Schaap (Hyacint Consult).
Why This Matters
This discussion highlights the importance of aligning policy, industry, and market incentives to support a sustainable, competitive, and secure EU mining sector.