EU unveils Stockpiling Strategy, will include establishing strategic reserves of critical materials - article courtesy of the IPA
Key facts of the EU Stockpiling Strategy
On 9th July, the European Commission (DG ECHO - European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations) published a communication which calls for an EU Stockpiling Strategy, covering a series of “goods”, including critical raw materials such as PGMs.
The EU Commission said that the EU should develop emergency stockpiles of medicine, generators and critical raw materials to be better prepared for a pandemic or natural disaster, and for a military invasion as concerns mount over the EU’s vulnerability to attacks.
Amongst other targets, the EU by 2026 intends to set up a Critical Raw Materials Centre to jointly buy certain materials on behalf of interested companies, which could also be tasked with organising stockpiles.
In general, the Strategy aims to:
- Improve access to essential goods under all circumstances.
- Improve interoperability of stockpiling systems both at national and EU level throughout the entire stockpiling cycle – planning, purchasing, managing and deploying the stocks.
Relevance of the Strategy for PGMs
- Future creation of an EU Critical Raw Materials Centre (2026) that should assist in jointly purchasing raw materials, coordinate strategic stockpiles, oversee supply chain monitoring, and encourage investments (already mentioned in the Clean Industrial Deal).
- Among other key actions, the Commission will establish an EU stockpiling network with Member States, which will have an advisory role, and will be also supported by a public-private Preparedness Task Force.
- Consideration will be given to innovative forms of stockpiling, such as virtual stockpiling.
- Looking beyond EU borders, consideration is given to strengthening cooperation withneighbourhood countries, like-minded partner countries and international organisations on crisis preparedness.
- The Commission will consider the importance of EU’s material preparedness and maintenance of EU strategic stockpiles in the proposals for the next multiannual financial framework.
More details
The initiative is part of the EU’s broader “Union of Preparedness” strategy, launched in March 2025, which urges both governments and citizens to be ready for emergencies. Citizens are advised to maintain a 72-hour supply of essential goods, while governments are expected to prepare regional and sector-specific inventories of high-priority resources.
The push for preparedness comes amid warnings from Western military officials that Russia could escalate its hybrid warfare into a conventional conflict with NATO countries within the next two to five years. In this context, the Commission underscores the need for better coordination with NATO in managing dual-use infrastructure and joint logistics.
It is articulated across seven key areas for EU action: i) improving coordination among Member States and with the EU; ii) foresight, anticipation and strategic planning; iii) filling gaps via EU strategic stockpiling; iv) enhancing a robust and interoperable transport and logistics infrastructure; v) improving civil-military cooperation; vi) fostering public-private cooperation; vii) fostering cooperation in external action and international partnerships.
Member states should better incentivize the private sector to help with stockpiling, such as through tax credits, it said. The bloc should also work with allies on “shared warehousing” and co-ordinate better on managing resources and dual-use infrastructure with Nato.
The need for investment in critical stockpiling would also be considered in proposals for its new multiannual budget, which are due to be put forward later this month.
Read more:
EU unveils 'stockpiling strategy' to prepare for war
EU prepares to stockpile critical minerals in case of war: FT - MINING.COM
