Geomechanics.io

  • Free Tools
Sign UpLog In
Built byBoxcut Studio

Geomechanics.io

Geomechanics, Streamlined.

© 2026 Geomechanics.io. All rights reserved.

Geomechanics.io

CMRR-ioGEODB-ioHYDROGEO-ioQCDB-ioFree Tools & CalculatorsBlogLatest Industry News

Industries

MiningConstructionTunnelling

Company

Terms of UsePrivacy PolicyLinkedIn
    Projects
    Op-Ed

    Europe’s ‘buy European’ plan misses minerals: strategic gaps for project teams

    February 25, 2026|

    Reviewed by Joe Ashwell

    Europe’s ‘buy European’ plan misses minerals: strategic gaps for project teams

    First reported on MINING.com

    30 Second Briefing

    Europe’s delayed “Buy European” single-market legislation, now due 4 March, is being criticised for focusing on finished goods while ignoring upstream critical minerals that underpin industrial sovereignty. Michael Wurmser, founder of Norge Mineraler, contrasts EU inaction with the US DFC-backed Orion Critical Mineral Consortium’s move to buy 40% of Glencore’s Mutanda and Kamoto copper-cobalt assets in the DRC, valuing them at about US$9 billion. He argues Europe has sizeable in‑bloc potential in copper, lithium, high‑purity alumina, phosphate and titanium that must be integrated into industrial policy.

    Technical Brief

    • EU leaders’ latest summit statements concentrated on factory closures and investment decline, not raw-material security.
    • China’s vertical strategy spans mining rights, refining capacity, long-term offtakes and full supply-ecosystem control.
    • Vertical integration from geology through refining to stockpiles is framed as “resilience by design” for industrial systems.

    Our Take

    In our Policy coverage, only a subset of the 137 stories on critical minerals explicitly link EU industrial policy with upstream assets in sub-Saharan Africa, so the references to Mutanda Mining and Kamoto Copper Company put this op-ed at the more hard-nosed end of the debate about European supply security.

    The implied US$9 billion enterprise value for Glencore’s 40% stakes in Mutanda and Kamoto underlines how concentrated cobalt and copper leverage in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has become; this concentration makes it harder for EU ‘buy European’ initiatives to avoid indirect exposure to Chinese and Swiss-controlled supply chains even when procurement is nominally diversified.

    Newmont’s €800 million-scale Cerro Negro Expansion 1 project in Argentina, with mine life pushed beyond 2035, shows that large non-Chinese operators are still willing to commit long-dated capital in politically complex jurisdictions, which is the sort of risk profile EU institutions may need to accept if they want meaningful access to battery metals and other critical minerals outside China and the US sphere.

    Geotechnical Software for Modern Teams

    Centralise site data, logs, and lab results with GEODB-io, CMRR-io, and HYDROGEO-io.

    No credit card required.

    • Save and export unlimited calculations
    • Advanced data visualisation
    • Generate professional PDF reports
    • Cloud storage for all your projects

    Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.

    Related Articles

    Greenland seabed mining ban to 2029: project siting implications for engineers
    Policy
    2 days ago

    Greenland seabed mining ban to 2029: project siting implications for engineers

    Greenland’s parliament has unanimously backed a resolution to ban seabed mineral extraction until at least the end of 2029, with possible two‑year extensions, directly countering US plans for “massive oil, gas and mineral exploration” announced by President Trump. The ban will cover prospective deep-sea mining of polymetallic nodules and other seabed resources, even as the US moves towards permitting such operations in international waters. For miners eyeing Greenland’s 28.2 Mt TREO Tanbreez rare earth project and wider critical mineral endowment, the decision sharply narrows options to land-based developments.

    Canada’s new foreign investment rules: financing impacts for critical minerals projects
    Policy
    2 days ago

    Canada’s new foreign investment rules: financing impacts for critical minerals projects

    Canada’s 2024 Investment Canada Act amendments will, from early 2027, impose mandatory pre-closing filings on certain non-control foreign investments in “prescribed” sensitive sectors, expected to include critical minerals, where investors gain access to material non-public technical information, key assets or governance rights. Critical minerals juniors relying on strategic minority investors for exploration, feasibility and project build-out may face at least a 45-day national security screening, with some reviews extending to 200 days, forcing longer financing timelines and more complex deal structuring, such as staged tranches. Ottawa’s aim is to vet sensitive deals before closing and avoid repeat divestiture orders like the 2022 forced exits of Sinomine, Chengze Lithium and Zangge Mining from Canadian lithium and rare metals projects.

    Parliamentary inquiry on critical minerals: land access and project impacts for engineers
    Policy
    3 days ago

    Parliamentary inquiry on critical minerals: land access and project impacts for engineers

    A national parliamentary inquiry into critical minerals will hold a public hearing in Melbourne on Monday 21 October, with the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Primary Industries taking evidence from mining companies, industry experts and regional communities. The inquiry will examine the economic potential of Australia’s critical minerals sector and how project development interacts with existing land uses, including agriculture and regional townships. Outcomes could influence future approvals, land access frameworks and infrastructure planning for Victorian and national critical minerals projects.

    Related Industries & Products

    Mining

    Geotechnical software solutions for mining operations including CMRR analysis, hydrogeological testing, and data management.

    CMRR-io

    Streamline coal mine roof stability assessments with our cloud-based CMRR software featuring automated calculations, multi-scenario analysis, and collaborative workflows.

    HYDROGEO-io

    Comprehensive hydrogeological testing platform for managing, analysing, and reporting on packer tests, lugeon values, and hydraulic conductivity assessments.

    GEODB-io

    Centralised geotechnical data management solution for storing, accessing, and analysing all your site investigation and material testing data.

    AllGeotechnicalInfrastructureHazardsEnvironmental