BRUSSELS, October 9. /TASS/. Only about a quarter of the EU's mineral extraction and processing projects are progressing on schedule two years after the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) entered into force, the European edition of Politico reported.

"At least one in three mining and processing strategic projects is either late, stalled, at risk, or no longer exists, and only about a quarter are clearly on track," said Diego Marin, policy officer for raw materials at the European Environmental Bureau, as quoted by the publication.

According to the publication, the EU introduced 47 strategic projects in March 2025, covering 14 of the 17 critical raw materials--including lithium, nickel, cobalt, and graphite for EV batteries, tungsten for military equipment, and gallium for semiconductors.

Industry insiders say financial, regulatory, and political roadblocks continue to stall European mining projects despite the CRMA, which was enacted to secure supply chains and reduce reliance on third countries, primarily China. By 2030, the EU aims to extract at least 10% of its critical raw materials, process 40% domestically, and recycle 25% of its annual consumption, while sourcing no more than 65% of any strategic material from a single non-EU nation.