The Rio Tinto Jadar project has been designated as a strategic project by the European Commission under the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA). This act highlights strategic raw materials as essential for the EU’s green and digital transition and identifies projects that strengthen supply security.
Commissioner Stefan Sežurne announced at a press conference that 49 projects outside the EU were registered, with 13—including Jadar—receiving strategic importance status.
The CRMA, adopted last year, regulates the sourcing, processing, and recycling of critical raw materials in Europe and aims to secure supply chains. Importantly, the Commission will not approve projects in third countries without their explicit consent.
Selected strategic projects will receive coordinated support from the Commission, member states, and financial institutions, facilitating financing and connections with relevant customers. The 13 strategic projects outside the EU collectively require approximately €5.5 billion in capital investment to commence.
The Commission will also enhance cooperation with third countries via strategic partnerships focused on raw material value chains.
Regarding non-EU countries like Serbia, the Commission emphasized in mid-2024 that projects must meet strict environmental and social standards to ensure direct benefits for local communities.
To qualify as strategic under CRMA, projects must significantly contribute to EU supply security, be technically feasible within a reasonable timeframe, and have reliably estimable expected production.
