European Commission Executive Vice-President Stéphane Séjourné made a statement in Brussels about the second package of strategic projects being implemented under the Critical Raw Materials Act. He noted that this marks his fourth press briefing during his mandate, reporting on progress in EU policy on critical materials. The Critical Raw Materials Act was adopted to reduce the European Union's dependence on external suppliers of rare and strategic minerals necessary for the production of batteries, electronics, defense equipment, and green technologies. The new package of projects envisages the development of mining, processing, and recycling of secondary raw materials within the union, as well as diversification of supply sources through partnerships with third countries. Séjourné emphasized the importance of strengthening Europe's industrial sovereignty amid growing geopolitical competition for access to strategic resources, particularly against the backdrop of China's dominance in rare earth metal mining and processing. According to him, the implementation of these projects should increase the resilience of European supply chains and create new jobs in the sector. The details of specific projects and participating countries in the second package are not disclosed in the presented fragment of the speech; however, the initiative itself is viewed as part of a broader EU strategy to strengthen economic security and technological independence.