The European Commission and Norway have announced a strategic partnership for strengthening and expanding their cooperation in the area of the raw materials and battery value chains.
The European Commission's Vice-President for Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight, Maroš Šefčovič, and Jan Christian Vestre, Norway's Minister of Trade and Industry issued a joint statement on Monday, for enhanced political and industrial cooperation on the strategic value chains of batteries and raw materials.
The strategic partnership will serve as future-oriented and long-term cooperation between the European Union and Norway resulting in the development of integrated sustainable value chains for minerals, metals, and batteries that will help address strategic dependencies and create green long-term growth and high-quality jobs, the EU stated in its official press statement.
As per the EU, the parties have agreed on the following initial areas of action:
- Norway will participate in the ministerial meetings of the European Battery Alliance.
- Norway intends to participate in and contribute to the European Battery Academy.
- The two Parties will discuss the application of the rules of origin laid down in the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement for battery packs and battery cells of Norwegian origin installed in electric vehicles produced in and traded between the EU and the UK.
- Industrial actors, with the support of the European Alliances and Norwegian Associations, will explore business opportunities in view of developing battery and raw materials projects in Norway and the EU, including at a jointly organized business networking event
- The two parties will work towards advancing best practices for resource classification and mapping, including mapping mineral potential from waste sources.
- The two Parties will organize a joint Tracing Net-Zero Battery Minerals event to support research and innovation.
A working group consisting of senior officials and experts from Norway and the EU is expected to be formed soon. The group will develop a strategic partnership, an MoU, and a roadmap for the cooperation.
Industry stakeholders such as business associations, industrial actors, and trade alliances will be encouraged to engage in the efforts of the strategic partnership, particularly for exploring business opportunities and developing joint industrial projects along with the entire battery and raw materials value chains.
The partnership on raw materials and batteries could be followed by partnerships in other areas of green industrial policy of mutual interest to both parties, the EU stated.