Finnish Minerals Group has joined the ‘call for a European preference’ initiative which urges Europe to strengthen its industrial base, secure key value chains and preserve economic sovereignty.
The call – initiated by the European Commission Executive Vice-President Stéphane Séjourné and supported by 1,200 European business and political leaders. It advocates for a ‘Made in Europe’ principle and proposes that public funding and investment should prioritise companies that produce a substantial part of their output on European soil.
‘Made in Europe’ is a policy established in 2026, aiming to boost the European Union’s industrial competitiveness.
Finnish Minerals CEO Matti Hietanen says joining this call aligns with the company’s core missions to responsibly maximise the value of Finnish minerals and build a strong, sustainable battery value chain in Europe.
“We think that ‘Made in Europe’ should extend all the way to strategic raw materials mined and processed within the union,” Hietanen says.
“Our initiatives in Finland such as the Keliber Lithium Project and Sokli mulit-mineral mining project are concrete examples of our commitment. The European preference provides a vital framework to ensure that such strategic projects receive the support they need to succeed, benefitting all of Europe.”
This news comes after Europe’s slowed down momentum in leading the early phase of the steel technology transition away from coal, as previously reported.
European nations such as Germany have been leading the world into the renewable energy age. However, more recently, that leadership has been taken on by China, as reported by the IEEFA.
Hydrogen Insight reports that 59 clean hydrogen projects began construction in 2025, with nearly half of them located in China. In China, 25 of the projects total around 500,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year.
According to the China Hydrogen Energy Alliance, the nation surpassed its green hydrogen target of 200,000 tonnes of operational capacity in 2025.
China, the world’s biggest steelmaker, recently announced the integration of a 1 million tonne per annum direct reduced iron plant – primarily running hydrogen. The plant will leverage coke oven gas as the process of gas, which is considered an industry first.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Unsplash
