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This article deals with one of the dimensions of the European Union's raw materials policy, including rare earth elements (REE). The core and overarching goal of the raw materials policy implemented by a given entity is to ensure security in terms of raw materials. Taking into account the current geopolitical situation and the ongoing war in Ukraine, the main part of discussion regarding raw materials security focuses on issues related to the supply of energy sources, including gas or coal. Rare earth elements, however, remain on the side-lines of these considerations. Rare earth elements are the foundation of modern technological development in many areas and fields. Due to their role, they have been the object of political rivalry between the People's Republic of China and the United States of America for at least twenty years. The question of the place and role of the European Union in this system remains open. The research intention of the considerations in this article is to indicate the role of REEs in the raw materials policy implemented by the European Union. The research shows that, despite the relatively late involvement of the European Union in the identification of key REEs and the development of their supply chain, a clear professionalisation of EU practices has been observed for several years. It is also indicated that among the most important challenges for the European Union's raw materials policy are factors such as excessive dependence of the supply chain on the People's Republic of China and difficulties in obtaining REEs within the territory of European Union member states.

NAJNOWSZE TRENDY W POLITYCE SUROWCOWEJ UNII EUROPEJSKIEJ Z PERSPEKTYWY EUROGEOSURVEYS JAKO DOSTAWCY DANYCHAbstrakt. Naturalne surowce mineralne mają strategiczne znaczenie dla europejskiego wzrostu gospodarczego i rozwoju społecznego. Komisja Europejska podjęła takie wyzwanie poprzez Inicjatywę dla Surowców (RMI), platformę zainteresowanych stron, Europejską Platformę Innowacji w Zakresie Surowców Naturalnych (EIP-RM) i fundusz Horyzont 2020. Celem jest zapewnienie bezpieczeństwa i zrównoważonych dostaw surowców z krajowych i innych źródeł Unii Europejskiej oraz zarządzanie konkurencyjnym wykorzystaniem powierzchni ziemi i stref wgłębnych Europy. Zrównoważone dostawy surowców ze źródeł europejskich wymagają udoskonalonej bazy wiedzy o surowcach UE, tzw. Bazy Wiedzy o Surowcach w Unii Europejskiej (EURMKB), w której EuroGeoSurveys, służby geologiczne Europy, są jednym z kluczowych dostawców danych. Obecna polityka Komisji Europejskiej ma te same cele, które zostaną w pełni wdrażane w najbliższej przyszłości. Pakiet Mobilności i jego działania wdrożeniowe (takie jak European Battery Alliance) i narzędzia (w tym Horizon Europe) wzmocnią pozycję surowców naturalnych w ogólnym kontekście polityki UE.

The Taliban victory in Afghanistan in 2021 has not only raised geopolitical concerns but has also sparked questions about the state's policies and strategies concerning its rare earth elements reserves. The main objective of the presented article is to indicate how the current political change in Afghanistan may affect the raw material policy regarding the extraction of rare earth elements, taking into account geopolitical factors. Rare earth elements are a group of critical minerals that are of great importance to modern technologies, ranging from electronics and renewable energy to defence systems. Afghanistan is known to possess significant deposits of these valuable resources, which have the potential to play a crucial role in global supply chains, especially in the face of ongoing rivalry between the People's Republic of China and the United States of America. The research problem of the considerations undertaken in this article is to assess the key challenges and opportunities in harnessing Afghanistan's rare earth element resources after the Taliban's return to power. The research conducted shows that despite having a significant amount of rare earth elements, Afghanistan lacks the infrastructure necessary to extract and process these valuable minerals. After the Taliban victory, the newly established government sees the potential benefit in extracting rare earth elements and is willing to align itself with China to exploit them.

As a result of the energy transition and digitalisation, the demand for raw materials is increasing drastically. At the same time, the raw materials markets are particularly tense due to the war in Ukraine and supply shortages are possible. Against this back­drop, the European Commission's fourth list of critical raw materials and its action plan to promote resilient raw material supply chains, both published in September 2020, are of great political importance. So-called critical raw materials play an impor­tant role in the economy of the European Union (EU) but are also subject to a high supply risk. This journal review examines questions about the extent to which the objectives of the EU's policy on critical raw materials are compatible with its other aims. It also discusses how intergovernmental cooperation in the extractive sector is practiced and the role of EU member states in the process. Ultimately, it also explores the geopolitical importance of critical raw materials for European projects for the future, a topic that has become all the more pertinent in view of the current debate on achieving energy independence from Russia. (author's abstract)

German industry is heavily dependent on imports of non-energy mineral raw materials. Many actors see the tense situation on the international raw material markets, especially the rise in raw material prices, the increasing competition for global access to raw materials as well as the concentration of production in a few countries, some of which are politically unstable, as threats to future supply stability. This has led to raw materials policy gaining in importance in recent years. The TAB report is dedicated to the current challenges of German raw materials policy, which arise primarily from technological change. The diffusion of new technologies can lead to an increasing demand for raw materials. Due to the low adaptability of the raw materials markets, negative repercussions on the development and production of high technologies may result, which would affect Germany as a high-tech location in a special way. Therefore, special attention is paid to the analysis of the vulnerability of German high-tech sectors to commodity supply risks. In addition to quantitative macroeconomic analyses, two case studies are used to show how individual companies are affected. A systematic examination of the various raw materials policy The aim is to further develop German raw materials ...