Romania Joins First US-Led Ministerial Meeting on Rare Minerals
Washington, The Gulf Observer: Romania participated in the first ministerial-level meeting on rare minerals in Washington, convened at the personal invitation of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, underscoring Bucharest’s growing role as a strategic partner of the United States and a key European Union contributor in the field of critical raw materials.
The high-level meeting and preceding consultations focused on strengthening economic security, building resilient supply chains for rare minerals, and deepening global partnerships to safeguard industries and jobs amid rising geopolitical and market risks. Discussions highlighted the need to align public policy and market instruments to reduce dependencies and protect transatlantic industrial ecosystems.
Romania emphasized that, as its defense, technology, energy and advanced manufacturing sectors increasingly rely on global inputs, active participation in international negotiations is essential. Aligning with the United States’ assessment of supply-chain risks, Romania voiced full support for the creation of a global coalition to counter political constraints, price-dumping practices and supply disruptions by reinforcing resilient EU-US supply chains.
As one of five European foreign ministers invited to the core ministerial group, Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Toiu stressed that economic planning can no longer be separated from security considerations in the current geopolitical environment. She called for stronger EU-US cooperation across investment, processing capacity and common market instruments for rare minerals.
“We have all sounded the alarm on supply-chain dependencies, and the United States’ invitation has accelerated collective action to reduce risk,” the minister said, reaffirming Romania’s firm support for transatlantic relations and for advancing a multilateral agreement on rare minerals to deliver prosperity and jobs.
Romania also highlighted its long-standing partnership with the United States—spanning more than 120 years—as a foundation for joint investments to harness natural resources, beginning with energy and expanding to broader bilateral and EU-US initiatives. Recognized as a resource-rich country, Romania hosts some of Europe’s largest copper mines and is advancing major projects in magnesium, graphite and magnet materials under a national strategy aimed at increasing investment and moving up the value chain from raw extraction to finished products.
While Romania’s GDP has grown tenfold within a generation, officials cautioned that future expansion of key sectors—including automotive, energy, technology, defense and appliances—depends on deeper integration into resilient supply chains. Romania signaled readiness to contribute to defense and high-tech industries in magnets, batteries and energy storage, aerospace and defense, green-energy transition technologies, and recycling to improve resource efficiency and sustainability.
An assessment by the Organization for International Trade of the United States noted that Romania is positioning itself as a strategic actor in Europe’s rare-mineral supply chain, driven by EU-wide efforts to reduce external dependence and by renewed mining, exploration and licensing initiatives.
Looking ahead, negotiators from the European Commission and the US State Department are expected to finalize a Memorandum of Understanding within 30 days, paving the way for coordinated trade policies and mechanisms aligned with the European Act on Rare Raw Materials.
The 2026 Ministerial Meeting on Rare Minerals brought together a core group of five EU foreign ministers—Romania, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands and Lithuania—alongside representatives from 54 countries, the European Commission, and senior US officials including Vice President JD Vance, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and US Commercial Representative Jamieson Greer.
