Learn more about Critical Materials and Minerals

The United States Department of Energy (DOE), the United States Department of Commerce (DOC), and the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy (DG-ENER) and Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG-GROW) co-hosted two roundtables in 2024 on opportunities and challenges for lithium. It was the first industry roundtable series focused on critical minerals and metals – lithium – organized within the framework of the U.S.-EU Energy Council. The first roundtable was held in Washington, D.C. on October 11, 2024. The second roundtable was held in Brussels, Belgium, in conjunction with EU Raw Materials Week hosted by the European Union on December 10, 2024. Context The U.S.-EU Energy Council is the lead transatlantic coordination forum on strategic energy issues dealing with energy security, policies, and technologies between the United States and the European Union. In 2024, the U.S.-EU Energy Council Ministerial endorsed bilateral collaboration within the Council’s Energy Policy Working Group to convene a series of U.S.-EU stakeholder roundtables on critical energy transition minerals and materials, including roundtables focusing on lithium. Industry participants were asked to provide actionable feedback to government on three themes: finance, innovation, and regulation. The roundtables aimed to generate at least three concrete next steps for governments by their conclusion. The U.S.-EU Energy Council is the lead transatlantic coordination forum on strategic energy issues dealing with energy security, policies, and technologies between the United States and the European Union. In 2024, the U.S.-EU Energy Council Ministerial endorsed bilateral collaboration within the Council’s Energy Policy Working Group to convene a series of U.S.-EU stakeholder roundtables on critical energy transition minerals and materials, including roundtables focusing on lithium.