Critical Minerals: Technological Development and Strategic Autonomy for Sweden and Europe

Critical raw materials (CRMs) continue to be strategically important and at the centre of geopolitical rivalries. They are increasingly treated as strategic assets at a time when technological innovation and the need for sustainability are intensifying. Technological development, CRM demand and governance structures, however, are highly dynamic, creating uncertainty for policymakers and industry alike. For Sweden and the European Union, strategic autonomy will be reliant on long-term resilience and strategic flexibility, as well as multilateral cooperation, to strengthen supply chains. Increased attention to these changes highlights the need for adaptive responses in a rapidly changing geopolitical landscape. Against this backdrop, this UI report summarises the main insights from a panel on these issues, hosted at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI) on 17 March 2026.