Post-Fossil Fuel Energy Security: Integrating Critical Materials into Europe's Single Energy Market

Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 reset European energy security perspective. The interdependence developed first with the Soviet Union then Russia broke. The knock-on effect questioned the interdependence with China as a key partner for the energy transition. If Europe's gas market was built with Russia, can Europe's zero-carbon economy be built with Chinese products? To assess a new energy security perspective the global interdependencies around critical raw materials need to be assessed. Europe's framing of energy security requires an expansion to include the unique features of low carbon technologies and resources. The passage of the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) signals a new energy security age, one where selective trade partners contribute to European energy security. And European manufacturing capacity is integrated into the energy security framing. To explore this topic a research question is posed, ‘Why should critical raw materials be accounted for in Europe's energy security and geopolitics?’