On Tuesday 28 May, the European Union and Australia signed a Memorandum of Understanding for a partnership on sustainable critical and strategic minerals. Canberra has significant mineral resources: the country is the world’s leading producer of lithium, bauxite and iron ore. It also produces manganese and uranium. The Memorandum of Understanding is to be followed by a Roadmap, to be developed within the next six months.
The EU’s primary objective is to secure its supply of critical...