n a world where economic competition increasingly overlaps with geopolitical rivalries, access to critical minerals has become, in the recent logic of history, one of the central stakes of global power.
From natural resources to geopolitical levers
The energy transition, accelerated digitalization, and industrial rearmament of the West have exposed a structural vulnerability: massive dependence on China for essential raw materials. Against this backdrop, Romania – a country long perceived as peripheral in global value chains – has, perhaps for the first time since 1989, entered the forefront of a transatlantic strategic discussion.
The visit of the Romanian delegation to Washington, attended by Foreign Minister Oana Toiu and the Economic Advisor to President Nicusor Dan, Radu Burnete, marks a turning point in this context. Critical minerals in Romania can no longer be considered merely a technical or economic issue but are becoming part of a common economic security architecture between the United States, the European Union, and their allies.
Why critical minerals matter: vulnerabilities hidden in numbers
The data presented at the Washington meeting speak for themselves. The European Union imports approximately 98% of its rare earth magnet requirements from China, and the United States depends on China for approximately 70% of its processed rare earths. In an era where trade has become a political and, at times, military tool, these percentages can no longer be treated as mere economic statistics, as they represent strategic vulnerabilities.
As Radu Burnete pointed out, supply chains, access to essential raw materials, and energy are increasingly being turned into instruments of geopolitical pressure.
The lessons of the pandemic, the energy crisis and the war in Ukraine all point to the same conclusion: economic security is inseparable from national security.
Romania, on the map of Europe’s critical resources
Under the umbrella of the Critical Raw Materials Act, the European Commission has selected 47 strategic projects at EU level, three of which are located in Romania: graphite in Baia de Fier (Gorj County), magnesium in Budureasa (Bihor County), and copper in Rovina (Hunedoara County).
These projects are not chosen by chance. Romania has a remarkable diversity of resources—approximately 60 different minerals—including polymetallic ores, significant deposits of copper and tellurium (a rare metal in Europe), and potential for rare earths associated with copper, titanium and zirconium.
The key problem, as the Romanian side itself recognizes, is that these resources have largely been mapped with the technology of decades ago. Without an up-to-date picture, any exploitation strategy remains incomplete or speculative. Hence the importance of the exploratory talks with the US Geological Survey, the world leader in geological mapping, which could provide Romania, for the first time in a long time, with a real X-ray of its subsoil.