Source: European Parliament
The EU Critical Raw Materials Act[1] (CRMA) is directly applicable to Member States only, therefore it does not prescribe obligations to non-EU countries, including as regards the specific requirements and timeframes covered by Articles 10, 11 and 12 referred to in the Honourable Member’s written question.
As such, EU candidate countries are not directly bound by EU legislation until their full accession, unless it is specifically referenced or incorporated into international agreements.
However, candidate countries are expected to gradually align their legislative framework with the EU acquis as part of their accession process.
This alignment occurs in accordance with their transposition of relevant EU legislation into national law, which takes place progressively, with support and monitoring from the Commission.
Therefore, while the CRMA does not directly apply to EU candidate countries, it serves as a complementary framework that may influence their strategic choices, and it will apply when these countries formally join the EU.
When it comes to strategic projects, authorities of candidate countries are invited to consider the benefits to be granted to such projects in national policies, such as the permitting provisions.
- [1] Regulation (EU) 2024/1252 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 April 2024 establishing a framework for ensuring a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials, OJ L, 2024/1252, 3.5.2024, http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1252/oj