Exercise – Seminar Week 6
Michel Eyschen- 100502897
Context: Belgium
The Spanish Presidency of the EU Council commences in July 2023, which means the Spanish
government will oversee setting the agenda and carrying out strategic coordination between the 27
member states of the European Union. The main priority will be to advance in strategic autonomy.
One of the key legislative proposals will be the Critical Raw Materials Act:
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/STATEMENT_22_5523
Instructions:
Option 1. You will be the representative of one of the 27 member states (cover at least the major
economies of the EU – one person per country):
Select the country that you will represent and research the top priorities of the country regarding
raw materials (e.g., is your country a lithium producer / where do you import your cobalt from /
does your country have large battery companies / how big is your car manufacturing industry / how
will the switch to electrical cars impact).
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Belgium is one of the world's leading processors of cobalt, radium, copper, zinc, and lead
Historically, coal was Belgium’s most important mineral resource
Belgium now imports all its coal, which is needed for the steel industry and for domestic
heating
During the 19th century, iron ore and zinc deposits in the Sambre-Meuse valley were heavily
exploited. They too are now exhausted
refining of imported metallic ores as one of the main components of Belgium’s economy
Metallurgy, steel, textiles, chemicals, glass, paper, and food processing are the dominant
industries
Among Belgium’s main imports are raw materials (including petroleum), motor vehicles,
chemicals, textiles, and food products
Major exports include motor vehicles, chemicals and pharmaceutical products, machinery,
plastics, diamonds, food and livestock, textile products, and iron and steel.
Batteries de Munter is one of the leading battery producers in the Benelux region
B&B battery Europe is another production facility which is located in Belgium and which
specializes in producing batteries
Belgium is the hub of assembly plants of Volvo and Audi
Meanwhile, the bus and truck sector is more dominant, with manufacturing plants like Van
Hool, VDL Bus& Coach, DAF Trucks and Volvo Trucks being produced in Belgium
Carry out short research on the idea of strategic autonomy (how will the concept of strategic
autonomy impact discussions around critical raw materials?).
Strategic autonomy is going to be difficult to implement. There is always going to be some countries
which possess more raw materials than others. Hence, the task of evenly distributing the materials
in between the member states of the EU is going to be difficult and extensive. Moreover, the
incentives of some countries to outsource some of their raw materials will be high, due to some
ongoing deals. In terms of exporting, some EU member states might also have financially better
options for their raw materials, than distributing it among other EU member states. The opportunity
cost of some countries is possible to offset the potential benefits of becoming strategically
independent.
What sectors need to be included (military, energy, critical infrastructure)?
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Belgium is not self sufficient in terms of raw materials, so they would need to introduce
many raw materials, including energy
Belgium Military is ranked 68 out of 145
Military would need to be reinforced, as there is no European army, and every country is
standing on its own at the moment
Prepare a short speech (maximum 1 minute).
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Belgium wouldn’t be much help in terms of implementing the goal of strategic autonomy, as
our main imports are raw materials
We would depend a bit on other raw material producers in the EU
Although, we could help with processing these materials, as we are one of the world's
leading processors of cobalt, radium, copper, zinc, and lead
One of our biggest export sectors is the vehicle sector, which means that we would
contribute in increasing the demand of electric vehicles in the EU
Moreover, we can contribute in connecting our car manufacturers (Volvo & Audi), which will
turn towards EVs in the future with other European car battery producers
As of 2020, the volume of electric vehicles being sold in Belgium amounted to 23,983
72,000 in 2021, with audi and volvo producing almost all of it