MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Bringing natural silicon under the scope of EU Regulation 2024/1252 as a critical raw material – E-002401/2024(ASW)

The Commission confirms to the Honourable Member that under the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRM Act), silicon metal is considered a critical raw material[1], but not natural silicon. That is because silicon is a highly reactive element, and pure silicon does not occur in a natural form.

Silicon metal is the base product for chemical products like silicones and silanes, aluminium and ferro-alloys and polysilicon for semiconductors.

At the same time, the value chains of critical raw materials, from extraction — in this case, quartz — to recycling, are covered under the CRM Act, provided the extracted resources are refined to the specified material.

• [1] Regulation (EU) 2024/1252, OJ L, 2024/1252, 3.5.2024, Annex 2.