T&E, European Metals and RECHARGE call on co-decision makers to strengthen battery supply chains in the IAA

As negotiations on the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) progress, a joint letter by T&E, European Metals and RECHARGE calls on the integration of primary and recycled battery grade materials, as well as critical midstream components like pCAM and AAMs.

The IAA is a first strong first step towards Europe’s industrial competitiveness, but a whole value chain approach is needed.

As Europe races to build its clean tech leadership in key technologies like EVs and batteries, the resilience of the supply chains underpinning these technologies - eg. Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) and midstream components like precursor Cathode Active Materials (pCAM) and Anode Active Materials (AAMs) - remains a central challenge.

Global concentration of critical components has worsened over the past years and many European projects in the pipeline remain at risk of being cancelled.

The IAA is a key tool to support struggling projects. It should serve as an effective demand side instrument by creating greater demand certainty and investment confidence for projects in Europe and trusted partner countries.

Signatories call on co-decision makers to add additional criteria to the Union content incentives listed in Annex III, focusing on a minimum threshold for refined battery grade critical raw materials and for pCAM and AAM, as well as recycled materials.

Europe should use the IAA as a prime opportunity to create predictable demand, leverage public procurement and public support schemes and unlock investment across the battery value chain. This will be essential to building resilient, diversified and competitive supply chains and strengthening Europe’s strategic autonomy.