The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has launched a facility together with the European Union to provide equity investments up to €100 million for the exploration of critical and strategic raw materials that are vital to the EU’s digital and green transformation.
Currently, the EU is realizing sustainable projects for critical raw materials in order to reduce the risk of potential supply-chain disruptions, ensuring that industrial sectors have access to necessary resources in accordance with the EU’s environmental and social standards.
Within the scope of the object, EBRD and the EU will each provide €25 million, while the facility aims to leverage a further €50 million, funding exploration activities in line with climate, governance, environmental and social impact standards.
The facility will be based on EBRD’s extensive experience in financing mining projects, facilitating early-stage equity investments in operations in EU member states in which it operates as well as in the EBRD countries outside of the EU.