Europe to Stockpile Critical Minerals and Cable Kits Amid War Threat

The European Commission is preparing a sweeping new strategy to stockpile critical minerals, cable repair modules, and emergency supplies, as Brussels warns of growing risks from war, climate change, and hybrid threats, The Gaze reports, citing The Financial Times.

A draft policy document outlines plans to boost the EU’s crisis preparedness, citing an “increasingly complex and deteriorating risk landscape” marked by rising geopolitical tensions — including potential armed conflict — as well as the escalating impacts of climate change and cyberwarfare.

Among the top priorities: establishing EU-level stockpiles of rare earths and permanent magnets — vital for energy and defense systems — as well as underwater cable repair kits, needed to respond swiftly to potential sabotage or disruption of critical communications infrastructure. 

The plan follows several suspected attacks on underwater cables and gas pipelines in recent years that have alarmed EU security officials.

The commission also calls on member states to coordinate reserves of food, medicines, and nuclear fuel, and to incentivize private sector participation in strategic stockpiling through mechanisms like tax credits. 

The EU executive plans to create a “stockpiling network” to strengthen coordination between countries, and will draw up crisis-specific lists of essential goods tailored to regional vulnerabilities.

“Limited common understanding of which essential goods are needed for crisis preparedness” has hampered Europe’s response capacity, the commission warns in the draft.

The strategy comes amid rising fears of a future Russian military threat. German General Carsten Breuer recently warned that Russia could target an EU member state within the next four years. 

Meanwhile, former Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, in an EU-commissioned report, urged Brussels to adopt a “preparedness mindset” and treat security as a “public good.”

The EU is also grappling with the fact that the continent is warming twice as fast as the global average. Wildfires in Greece this week forced thousands to flee — a stark reminder of Europe’s growing climate vulnerability.

The Commission’s proposals are expected to be finalized and published next week. Officials say the effort could also factor into negotiations over the EU’s upcoming multiannual financial framework, with new funding earmarked for strategic reserves.

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