European Commission | EU and US Launch Strategic Partnership on Critical Minerals

Today, the EU and US signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on a strategic partnership on critical minerals and agreed an EU-US Critical Minerals Action Plan. These initiatives reflect the EU’s commitment to deepen cooperation on critical raw materials. This is a key step in enhancing resilience and diversification of supply chains, amid shared geopolitical and economic challenges.

Signed today by Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Šefčovič and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington DC, the MoU formalises the EU-US strategic partnership to build secure, sustainable critical minerals supply chains. It foresees bilateral cooperation across the full value chain – spanning exploration, extraction, processing, refining, recycling and recovery, while supporting innovation, investment and geological mapping as well as supply- and demand-side measures.

Additionally, Commissioner Šefčovič and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer set out an Action Plan for Critical Minerals Supply Chain Resilience, which paves the way towards a possible plurilateral trade initiative with global partners.

Under the Action Plan, the EU and the US intend to work together to explore a broad range of trade policies and instruments to reinforce coordinated international action. These may include border-adjusted price floors, standards-based markets, price gap subsidies and offtake agreements. In addition, cooperation is expected to focus on the development of common standards for mining, processing and recycling; the promotion of investment; joint research and innovation; stockpiling strategies; and mechanisms for rapid response to supply disruptions.

Both sides plan to continue working on critical minerals resilience in relevant international fora, including the G7 and the Forum on Resource Geostrategic Engagement (FORGE).

Both, the MoU and the Action Plan follow up on shared commitments decided on at the Critical Minerals Ministerial meeting held in Washington DC on 4 February 2026, alongside Japan. Closer cooperation in the area of critical minerals is foreseen in the Joint Statement of 21 August 2025 between the EU and the US.

“Secure and sustainable access to critical minerals is vital for the competitiveness and resilience of the EU economy. The MoU with the United States is the EU’s 16th bilateral instrument on critical raw materials. Together, these MoUs make a significant part of our strategy to reduce dependencies, foster innovation, and ensure that our supply chains are resilient against global disruptions. By working together with partners across the globe, we can shape fair and transparent markets that benefit our economies and industries. ” – Stéphane Séjourné, Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy

“It is encouraging to see EU-US cooperation on critical raw materials taking concrete shape. The vision is there – now the real test is execution, by turning shared ambitions into impactful projects. This will define our success. Critical minerals sit at the core of every future-facing industry – resilience is therefore inevitable and addressing vulnerabilities an imperative.” – Maroš Šefčovič, Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security; Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency

Compliments of the European Commission