EU Commissioner for the Environment "Circular economy is important for ensuring stable supply of important minerals"

In an interview, a member in charge of the environment of the EU=European Union, who will attend the G15=Climate, Energy and Environment Ministers' Meeting of seven major countries to be held in Sapporo on June 7, emphasized the importance of a circular economy for ensuring the stability of important minerals, which have raised concerns about increasing dependence on China and other countries.

The G7 Ministers' Meeting on Climate, Energy and Environment was held in Sapporo on June 15, and Commissioner Sinkevitous, the EU's executive body, spoke to the media at the EU headquarters in Belgium before attending the meeting.

Commissioner Sinkevitzhus said that Europe survived the winter by diversifying its gas sources and storing gas, which was said to have fallen into an energy crisis last year due to a decrease in natural gas supplies following the invasion of Ukraine, said, "We are now quite different from a year ago, and we have been able to remove the uncertainty that we do not know what will happen in the future. Based on this experience, we need to work to completely move away from Russia's dependence on fossil fuels and fossil fuels in general."

On the other hand, in the EU, there are concerns that the procurement of lithium and other important minerals necessary for the transition to renewable energy will increase dependence on some countries, such as China.

"It is important that these concerns are shared," said Commissioner Sinkevitous, "because renewable energy projects on a large scale require critical minerals. If we deal with it appropriately, we can diversify our suppliers," he said, indicating that he intends to promote initiatives including mining in the region.

The EU is trying to introduce new rules to ensure the recovery of batteries and the reuse of resources, which are essential for the spread of renewable energy.

"Before the use of batteries will increase significantly, rules need to be established to ensure that all batteries in the EU market are sustainable and reusable," said Commissioner Sinkevitzous, recognizing the importance of a circular economy, including the reuse of resources, for economic security.