Edoardo Righetti

Centre for European Policy Studies | CEPS · Energy, Resources and Climate Change

Rising geopolitical tensions and the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic have intensified concerns about securing access to the critical raw materials (CRMs) that are needed for the energy transition. A group of 17 elements referred to as rare earth elements (REEs) are among the CRMs for which security of supply is increasingly becoming a matter of pr...

As the EU prepares for the next political cycle, policymakers are poised to continue their efforts to deliver on the objectives of the European Green Deal and the Fit for 55 package, to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. Reflecting on the policy experiences of the 2019–2024 political cycle, the implementation of the European Green Deal will not b...

The uptake of strategic green and digital technologies will massively increase demand for critical raw materials (CRMs) over the coming years. CRM supply chains, however, are now heavily concentrated in a limited number of countries, with China holding significant market power. In the EU, this has raised legitimate concerns about its excessive expo...

The EU has always strenuously promoted economic integration with the rest of the world. In a peaceful world governed by a rules-based system, this strategy made Europe not only one of the most important global trading powers but also one of the most prosperous regions. The Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent Russian invasion of Ukraine have funda...

In recent years, the challenge of plastic waste generation has become a prime concern in the global political arena. At the EU level, a dedicated strategy on plastics was adopted that led to the Single-Use Plastics Directive. In spite of this, plastic waste management data show that achieving a circular economy for plastics in the EU is a long way...

Rare earth elements are strategically important for the EU to sustain and accelerate its green and digital transition, particularly due to their use in permanent magnets. Rare earths permanent magnets are critical components of low carbon technologies such as wind turbines and electric vehicles, but also home appliances and consumer electronics. Ye...

The term ‘strategic autonomy’ denotes the political goal of building a self-reliant EU economy with limited exposure to supply disruptions, like those stemming from the Covid-19 crisis. Securing access to the non-energy minerals required for building a new industrial ecosystem consistent with the EU’s decarbonisation objectives is important to achi...

The circular economy is a key element of the European Green Deal as a concept that can support the transition towards a more sustainable growth model. While in recent years there has been a growth of circular economy industrial applications, evidence suggests that the uptake of circular approaches in many sectors is still limited. This report provi...