Politics and Development Studies Research Group: Jewellord Nem Singh (Wilson Centre, Washington DC, and Erasmus University Rotterdam): The Politics of Supply Chains of Renewable Energy and the EU’s Quest for Strategic Autonomy

The Politics of Supply Chains of Renewable Energy and the EU’s Quest for Strategic Autonomy

Jewellord Nem Singh

Global Fellow, Wilson Centre

jojo [dot] nemsingh [at] gmail [dot] com (jojo[dot]nemsingh[at]gmail[dot]com)

What explains the return of industrial policy agenda in the European Union (EU) after almost three decades of economic reforms aimed at single market harmonization and pursuit of economic competition within the EU market? As peaceful competition between the US and China accelerates, the EU has begun to recognize its vulnerability from excessive dependence on critical minerals to secure its industrial competitiveness. This, in turn, created a new phase of policymaking whereby new economic measures were put in motion to assert EU’s strategic autonomy and to secure its access to raw materials. Examining the supply chains of critical raw materials-clean energy nexus, the presentation examines the challenges for EU’s commitment to renewable energy. In particular, it examines the rise of ‘economic security’ as the underpinning logic of climate change governance linked to energy transition. While political economy factors connected to globalization and market forces have traditionally explained EU’s engagement strategy with major powers and developing countries, the presentation outlines the new context of strategic competition as it shapes EU’s quest for strategic autonomy. Using the EU CRM strategy as a case study, the paper demonstrates the contradictions of supporting and pursuing the ‘market rule’ to secure access to critical minerals, and the need for a more coherent industrial policy based on principles of strategic autonomy. Thus far, such attempts at forging a coherent approach to curb EU dependency on China and mineral producers have failed. 

***** The research is funded through the European Research Council Starting Grant No. 950056 “Green Industrial Policy in the Age of Rare Metals” (GRIP-ARM). *****

About the Author

Jewellord Nem Singh is a Global Fellow at the Wilson Centre, Washington DC and an Assistant Professor at Erasmus University Rotterdam. He is the principal investigator of a five-year research programme under European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant No. 950056. His latest book is entitled Business of the State: Why State Ownership Matters for Resource Governance (Oxford University Press, 2024).

Politics and Development Studies Research Group | Department of Political Science (lu.se)

Studying political aspects of development of special relevance for low- and middle-income countries