As a media partner, ECGA will support Benchmark’s Giga Europe 2026 in Brussels, a leading forum for Europe’s battery value chain at the heart of EU policymaking. The agenda focuses on strengthening critical mineral supply chains through key policy initiatives, protecting supply chains from geopolitical and geo-economic disruption, and scaling battery production through industrial policy measures such as the EU Battery Booster. It will also address circular economy challenges, guided by the EU Battery Regulation and the forthcoming Circular Economy Act, alongside the evolving EV and charging policy landscape towards 2035 targets.

ECGA position paper on the European Commission’s RESourceEU initiative welcomes the EU’s efforts to strengthen Europe’s resilience and strategic autonomy in critical raw materials. The paper highlights the need for complementary measures to de-risk investments in mining, refining, and processing; ensure a predictable and proportionate legislative framework; and secure a genuine level playing field in global trade. ECGA underlines that both natural and synthetic graphite are vital to Europe’s green transition and calls for policies that recognise their strategic importance, enable indirect CO₂ cost compensation, and design strategic stocks reflecting graphite’s specialised grades.

ECGA welcomes three new associate members, expanding our network of innovators in the carbon and graphite value chain. The additions include companies from Austria, Italy and the Czech Republic, bringing expertise in Few Layer Graphene production, HF-based graphite purification, and European natural graphite resource development. Their work reinforces ECGA’s commitment to innovation, circularity, and strengthening Europe’s strategic autonomy in critical raw materials.