Joint Declaration on a Strategic Partnership on Critical Raw Materials and Batteries EU-Ukraine

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) welcomes the Memorandum of Understanding on a Strategic Partnership on Critical Raw Materials and Batteries signed on 13 July by Maroš Šefčovič, Vice-President for Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight, on behalf of the European Union, and Denys Shmyhal, Prime Minister of Ukraine.

'This Partnership will play a key role in enhancing cooperation in the domain of critical raw materials and battery value chains and will represent a step forward in deepening the integration of the respective value chains' Christa Schweng, the EESC president said.

As the EESC has already pointed out in its opinion CCMI/177 and at its webinar held on 13 July, it is essential that the EU uses all instruments at its disposal, including trade agreements and strategic partnerships, in order to forge alliances with key partners in a plurilateral framework, that can at the same time contribute to reinforcing the EU's raw materials resilience and prevent supply disruptions, while also taking into account the needs, aspirations and development of countries supplying raw materials.

In that respect, in the eyes of organised civil society, the Partnership launched today is a clear step in the right direction.

The EESC is committed to monitoring its implementation through the bilateral EU-Ukraine civil society platform established under the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement.

For more info:

EESC Press Unit – Katerina Serifi
aikaterini.serifi@eesc.europa.eu
+32 (0)2 546 9175
@EESC_PRESS