Kazakh Delegation Presents Rare Earth Materials Opportunities in EU Capital

Brussels, December 12, 2024 – The Kazakh delegation, led by Turar Zholmagambetov, Deputy Chairman of the Industry Committee of the Ministry of Industry and Construction of the Republic of Kazakhstan, took part in the annual event «Raw Materials Week, which was held in Brussels from December 9 to 12 this year.

The annual forum, organized by the European Union, brought together more than a thousand representatives of industry and companies, global financial and investment structures, government agencies, as well as civil society, research and academia.

Given the focus of the event on expanding cooperation in the field of rare earth metals and developing partnerships between representatives of the private sector, the event was attended by representatives of a number of Kazakh national enterprises, including the RSE «National Center for Technological Foresight».

During the conference, the Kazakh side presented the current opportunities and prospects for the development of the rare and rare earth metals sector in the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as the results of the implementation of the Roadmap for 2023-2024.

As part of the «Raw Materials Week», the delegation of Kazakhstan also took part in the work of the Minerals Security Partnership Forum, where a number of bilateral meetings with European businesses took place.

Following the results of the Forum, official and business representatives of the EU expressed interest in cooperation and implementation of investment projects in Kazakhstan in the near future.

Let us recall that on November 7, 2022, the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Alikhan Smailov and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen signed a Memorandum of Understanding on a strategic partnership in the field of sustainable raw materials, batteries and green hydrogen value chains, which provides a basis for cooperation and sustainable supply of critical raw materials.

It should also be noted that Kazakhstan possesses 33 of the 34 elements listed as critical raw materials by the European Union. Kazakhstan can supply 21 of the 34 minerals recognized as critical by the EU, and raw material bases have been created for the remaining 13, which positions Kazakhstan as one of Europe's key partners in ensuring a stable supply of key materials critical to the transition to green energy and advanced technology sectors.