India and the European Union are deepening cooperation on critical minerals to underpin the green energy transition and digital transformation. Both face acute risks from geographically concentrated supply chains, prompting a shift towards diversified, resilient, and transparent sourcing.

Strategic Convergence and Complementarity

• Nearly 70% overlap exists between India’s and the EU’s critical mineral lists, creating strong alignment.
• As non-geostrategic competitors, they can co-develop capacities across the value chain - combining India’s scale and cost-effective processing with the EU’s advanced technology and sustainability standards - to accelerate net-zero ambitions.

Institutional Pathways and Financing

• Platforms such as the India-EU Trade and Technology Council (2022) enable standards harmonisation and technology flows.
• The EU’s Global Gateway Strategy can mobilise risk-mitigated finance for joint ventures in resource-rich geographies.
• Synergies with the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act (2024) can help designate and fast-track strategic projects for assured supply.

Summing Up