Same commodity, new point of view. Lesson 2 drilled into the world picture. Now we turn the core sample round and look from Europe: how much do we make, how much do we buy, and from whom?
with Elizabeth Cecilia. Tap any underlined word for a quick definition.
00
The same commodity, seen from Europe
This is the Commodity: EU page, still with Cobalt selected. Lesson 2 asked who controls supply worldwide. This page asks the question a European buyer or policymaker asks next: how exposed are we?
Critical Raw Materials IntelligenceCommodity: EUCommodity: Cobalt
EU mine production (derived)
mine · kt contained cobalt · EU27 · 2025
1.1 kt
EU share of world output (proprietary: KPI)
mine · %, calculated from the two production measures · EU27 over World · 2025
0.38%
read this one
Import reliance (derived)
all stages combined · % of apparent consumption, gross weight · EU27 · all commodities · 2025
81%
Recycling input rate (derived)
recycling · % of EU demand met from old scrap · EU27 · 2023 assessment
21%
01
A share of what?
The highlighted tile is a ratio. Its gives the as EU27 over World: one figure divided by another.
Predict first: the EU's share of world output is 0.38%. A share of what?
02
A line that turns a number into a judgement
The suppliers chart shows where the EU's cobalt imports come from, with a at the CRMA's .
Suppliers to the EU, countries outside the EU only (derived)
ores, intermediates and refined metal · % of import quantity, contained metal · extra-EU imports only; trade between member states excluded · 2025 · Comext
Predict first: DR Congo supplies 63%. What should a business analyst take from that?
Check the denominator too: this chart is a % of import quantity. The CRMA ceiling is set against the EU's annual consumption. They're close cousins, not the same measure. Lesson 5 has a tile that measures the same supplier as a % of EU supply instead.
03
Operating is not announced
The facilities tile counts sites by state. The last word of its Basis line is the : announced.
Facilities by state (proprietary: ERMA)
mine · refining and processing · count of sites, by state · EU27 · Sep 2026 · ERMA project data · as of Sep 2026 · announced
Facility type
Operating
Under construction
Announced
Mine
1
0
6
Refining and processing
4
1
5
Predict first: how many EU cobalt mines could be producing by 2030?
04
Not every tile follows the slicer
Lesson 1 showed the CRMA benchmark tracker for all commodities. On this page it carries a different title.
CRMA benchmark tracker, held at group level (proprietary)
extraction · processing · recycling · % of annual EU consumption, contained metal · EU27 · group level: Battery metals · 2025 output, not 2030 capacity
Stage
EU share 2025
Benchmark 2030
Extraction
3%
10%
Processing
14%
40%
Recycling
9%
25%
Predict first: you switch the Commodity slicer from Cobalt to Lithium, another battery metal. What happens to this tile?
Read the title and the Basis line together: held at and group level: Battery metals. A slicer only changes the tiles that are built to follow it.
05
A world tile on a Europe page
Two tiles on this page are copies from Commodity: world. Their titles end in (World).
Supply and demand to 2035, base case (World) (proprietary: scenario)
mine · recycling · end use · kt contained cobalt · World · actual to 2025, forecast to 2035 · Scenario table, base case, dated Mar 2026 · as of Mar 2026 · assumed
The same chart as in lesson 2.
Predict first: what should you check before comparing this chart with the EU tiles above it?
06
The other tiles on this page
EU mine production: 1.1 ktContained cobalt mined in the EU27, 2025. Divide by the world's 290 kt and you get the 0.38%.
Import reliance: 81%The same as the 60% in lesson 1, now for cobalt alone.
Recycling input rate: 21%Share of EU demand met from old scrap. Its period is the 2023 , older than the other tiles.
Production and price, ten years (World)Another world tile. Same chart as lesson 2.
Summary
as each quoted measure · sentences built from measures, no free text · EU27 · as each quoted measure
The EU mined 0.38% of world output and imported 81% of what it used. DR Congo supplied 63% of imports, below the Act's 65% ceiling. Operating today: 5 sites.
5 operating sites is 1 mine plus 4 refining sites, straight from the facilities table. The Summary counts sites and reports ones separately.
07
Three layers today
Three layers today: read a ratio's two scopes, treat a reference line as a distance, not just a side, and check whether a tile follows the slicer at all. Next lesson: what will battery demand need?
Read a ratio's two scopes. Measure the distance to a line. Check which tiles follow the slicer.
Announced sites are plans, operating sites are facts. When a tile mixes the two, read its status before you count.
Terms in this lesson
Earn 5 XP for every term you know.
Get the project files
Everything is free on GitHub. Open the report next to the lessons and check each step for yourself.
The whole project
The Power BI project, the seed project, the specs and the tools: the whole kit. On the GitHub page, click the green Code button, then Download ZIP, and unzip it anywhere.
The Critical Raw Materials Intelligence report as a single .pbix file to open in Power BI Desktop. Open the latest release under Releases, then Assets, on the right of the GitHub page.