EU May Invest in Australian Critical Minerals, Emulating US

The European Union is weighing direct investments in Australian mining companies to secure supplies of critical minerals, according to the bloc’s Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic.

The initiative may include financing bodies, such as the European Investment Bank, taking equity stakes in companies, as well as European governments arranging offtake agreements, Sefcovic said at a media conference in Melbourne on Friday. A third option could be joint investments in projects, he said.