EU Pushes for Secondary CRM Processing: New Subsidies for Slag and E-Waste Recycling

In mid-March 2026, the European Commission announced a new €500 million funding allocation under the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) framework, specifically targeted at scaling up secondary processing and recycling infrastructure within the EU. The initiative aims to fast-track the EU’s binding target: achieving at least 25% of the bloc's annual critical raw material consumption from domestic recycling by 2030.

The funding will prioritize advanced pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical facilities capable of extracting rare earth elements (REEs) from industrial e-waste and legacy mining slag heaps. Currently, Europe discards an estimated 300,000 tonnes of industrial byproducts annually that contain traceable amounts of gallium, germanium, and cobalt—materials essential for semiconductor and aerospace production.

For CRM trading and logistics, this regulatory pivot opens a robust secondary market. GranTi is actively monitoring these developments to help clients integrate recycled and circular-economy certified raw materials into their supply chains. As compliance standards under CBAM and CRMA tighten, utilizing domestic recycled materials will offer companies a dual advantage: zero carbon-border tariffs and a significantly reduced risk of international geopolitical export caps.