German Minister Wadephul Calls for Rapid Expansion of Rare Earths Fund

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul urged the rapid up‑scaling of Germany’s raw‑materials fund after a trip to South America. He said the fund – expected to total up to €1 billion, with KfW already backing early projects – should finance exploration, processing and the early stages of rare‑earth and other critical mineral projects to secure alternative supplies and reduce dependence on China.

Wadephul highlighted Brazil’s large deposits of critical metals and its role as Germany’s main South American trading partner. He linked the funding push to the EU‑Mercosur free‑trade agreement, calling the pact a “game‑changer” for deeper industrial cooperation between Europe and the Mercosur bloc. The minister argued that swift state investment or guarantees are needed to enable German companies to access these resources before the United States can catch up.