Lower thirds:

00:19 MATTHIAS RUTH, Commoditiy Trader Tradium 
01:02 Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission

Script:

This German raw materials trader stocks what is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain: rare earth elements from China. Chinese authorities have drastically tightened export controls and are demanding detailed information from companies.

+++ SOT MATTHIAS RUTH, Commoditiy Trader Tradium  +++ 
"How is it being used, in what quantity, how much quantity per product...and of course, all of this is information that not every consumer is willing to share. But of course, you have to lay your cards on the table. But who wants to reveal their company secrets?”

No more permits are currently being issued for the defense industry. Alarm bells are ringing in Europe. Without rare earth elements, there are no future technologies, no semiconductors, no energy transition, no e-mobility. Now the EU is looking for ways to become more independent.

+++O-Ton (engl.)  Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission+++
"The aim is to secure access to alternative sources of critical raw materials in the short, medium and long term for our European industries. And it starts with a circular economy."

This recycling plant already uses AI to identify and sort out small batteries hidden in electric appliances. But the problem can hardly be solved through recycling alone.

+++GRAFIK+++
93 percent of refined rare earth elements come from China. A quasi-monopoly that China uses to exert political pressure on the EU.
+++GRAFIK RAUS+++
There is also pressure from the US. President Donald Trump is demanding, the EU put export restrictions and tariffs no China, too. Europe is caught between a rock and a hard place. The previous business model, prosperity through trading with both sides, is no longer working. Now the EU lacks not only its own future technologies, but also the raw materials to develop them.