The EU, US, and Japan agreed on Wednesday to accelerate a two-part partnership aimed at strengthening critical minerals supply chain resilience and economic security, with the EU and US committing to conclude an MOU within the next 30 days.
The first component is the forthcoming understanding focused on critical minerals supply chain security, with the stated goal of stimulating demand and diversifying supply by identifying and supporting projects across mining, refining, processing, and recycling.
The MOU is also set to cover measures to prevent supply chain disruptions, promote research and innovation, and facilitate information exchange on stockpiling.
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In the statement, the State Department is said to lead US engagement on the EU–US deal, while the US Trade Representative will lead US part on the action plan.
Plurilateral trade track
The second component is an intent to build action plans and explore a plurilateral trade initiative with like-minded partners on trade in critical minerals, extending beyond the EU–US bilateral track to a broader coordination framework.
The joint statement lists potential mechanisms that could be explored under a plurilateral trade initiative like coordinated trade policies and tools such as border-adjusted price floors, standards-based markets, price gap subsidies, and offtake agreements.
The EU, US, and Japan framed these steps as jointly enhancing resilience in critical mineral supply chains.
Several EU member states participated in the ministerial meeting alongside the EU, US, and Japan.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the outcome as a move toward “collective resilience” through a plurilateral trade initiative and named a next step of a bilateral EU–US agreement on raw materials.
This follows leaders of the US and Japan signing a framework in October 2025 for securing the supply of critical minerals and rare earths through mining and processing, covering the same cooperation areas named for the MOU.
The plurilateral effort is positioned as additive to existing initiatives, with the parties stating they will pursue engagement in relevant international forums, specifically including the G7 and the minerals security partnership, or any successor forum.
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