EU plans to transport critical raw materials via the Middle Corridor – TCRC

2026-04-09

The transportation of modern equipment needed to extract raw materials that are critical to the EU will be possible using Georgian ports - this is stated in the publication of the “Transport Corridor Research Center” (TCRC).

“The EU gives priority to the Middle Corridor when transporting critical raw materials from Central Asia

For the extraction of raw materials that are critical to the EU in Central Asia, both modern equipment and technologies, as well as “reverse” finished products, will be possible using Georgian ports - under such conditions, the role of the Middle Corridor will significantly increase.

Recently, the EU has shown increased interest in the critical resources of Central Asia. Experts believe that such an aspiration of the European Union represents an opportunity for investment and technological development for the countries of the region, however, at the same time, geopolitical risks for the countries of Central Asia are increasing,” the publication notes.

As TCRC writes, in the context of critically important raw materials, Central Asia has come into the spotlight because the region has significant reserves of rare earth metals and strategic minerals for the production of microchips, turbines, smartphones, electric vehicles and renewable energy equipment necessary for the EU.

“Experts note that many deposits of critically important raw materials in Central Asia are still unexplored. According to preliminary estimates, the five countries of the region together have manganese ore (38.6% of world reserves), chromium (31%), lead (20%), zinc (12.6%), titanium (8.7%), There are significant reserves of zinc (2.6%), as well as copper, cobalt and molybdenum. The region also has significant potential for rare earth metals such as scandium, yttrium and lanthanides.

According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), 384 deposits of rare earth metals and strategic minerals have been discovered in the region, including 160 in Kazakhstan, 87 in Uzbekistan, 75 in Kyrgyzstan, 60 in Tajikistan and 2 in Turkmenistan.

Currently, the European Union is almost entirely dependent on imports of strategic minerals and rare earth metals from China.

At the same time, experts agree that the main risk for the Central Asian region is the lack of raw material supplies from major economic centers (USA, China) is transformation.

Central Asia should not be limited to the export of strategic minerals, they should not miss the opportunity to create high-value-added technologies in their countries.

China controls 60% of the world's rare earth mining enterprises and 90% of the world's processing capacity, which creates a certain vulnerability for the EU's high-tech industries.

Since the beginning of 2024, China has imposed restrictions on the export of a number of minerals and related technologies, which has increased strategic risks for the EU.

Kazakhstan stands out in the regional context. It can offer the EU 21 of the 34 critical minerals and metals considered strategic by Brussels.

Kazakhstan already produces 34 of the 34 key minerals considered strategic by the EU 19. It has the world's largest reserves of chromite, significant reserves of titanium, barite, silver, lead and chromium, as well as significant deposits of copper and uranium.

In the processing of rare metals, in addition to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, the EU's focus on Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan will also strengthen its position in creating a balance of power against the Chinese monopoly.

It is important to note that the Central Asian countries actively support the EU's strategic vision, so that the EU is not only interested in purchasing raw materials, but is also oriented towards the development of local processing, infrastructure, transportation, technology transfer and educational programs.

Many Central Asian companies and experts note that European businesses need to act faster in the region, as competitors The USA, China, Japan and South Korea are already actively developing new deposits and creating production chains.

The main task of Brussels is to quickly respond to the processes, offer competitive conditions to the countries of the Central Asian region, as well as help strengthen technological potential, infrastructure and human resources - this is not subject to delay.

Kazakhstan, for its part, stated that it is developing the infrastructure of the Trans-Caspian transport corridor in order to ensure the smooth and safe delivery of critically important raw materials to European markets,” the publication says.

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