September 20th - The European Union member states have overwhelmingly passed the "Critical Raw Materials Act." Currently, representatives from the European Parliament, the European Council, and the European Commission are negotiating the specific details of the proposal. It is understood that the introduction of the EU "Critical Raw Materials Act" comes at a time when there is growing concern about shortages of key materials such as lithium, graphite, copper, cobalt, and nickel, which are essential for global energy transition and lithium-ion batteries.