On 3 December, the European Commission adopted the RESourceEU Action Plan aiming to accelerate and amplify efforts to secure the EU's supply of critical raw materials, such as rare earth elements, cobalt and lithium. Building on the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), the initiative provides financing and tools to protect industry from geopolitical and price shocks, promote projects on critical raw materials in Europe and beyond, and partner with like-minded countries to diversify supply chains.

The plan includes a number of measures to enhance materials circularity, including:

• Introducing measures on the exports of scraps and waste of permanent magnets and aluminium scrap (and possibly copper scrap as well) to support the European recycling industry. A targeted amendment to the CRMA expands product labelling requirements and incentivises recycling of materials wasted during manufacturing of permanent magnets, such as scraps, trimmings and defective products.
• An action plan will be rolled out by mid-2026 to support recycled nutrients for fertilisers.