EPMA has joined 23 European industry associations in a joint statement calling on EU policymakers to protect the supply of industrial materials that Europe’s manufacturing base depends on. The campaign is led by FEPA, the Federation of European Producers of Abrasives.

The statement identifies a gap in Europe’s economic security framework. Many processed and synthetic materials are used in small volumes but are essential to production, and they fall outside the EU’s lists of critical and strategic raw materials. If their supply is disrupted by war, export restrictions or economic coercion, production can stop in sectors worth far more than the materials themselves.

Industrial diamonds are the example the statement gives. Europe has no domestic supply, upstream production is concentrated in China, and substitutes take a long time to qualify. This matters directly for powder metallurgy. Diamond tools, hardmetals and many precision-finishing steps across the PM value chain depend on these materials.

The coalition asks the European Commission, Parliament and Council to create a focused mechanism with three elements:

• Rapid temporary designation of non-listed materials as “Strategic Industrial Materials at Risk” when EU dependency on one or two countries passes a set threshold and a disruption threatens strategic value chains.
• Whole-chain mapping of production, imports, processing, inventories and demand, with downstream users and SMEs consulted.
• Coordinated activation of existing EU tools, such as trade defence, State aid, financing, strategic stockpiling and joint purchasing.

The statement also calls for long-term measures. These include diversified supply agreements, qualification of alternative sources and investment in competitive European production, while keeping access affordable for downstream users.

Co-signatories include CECIMO, CLEPA, SEMI Europe, the European Tool Association (EPTA) and FIM.

Read the full statement on FEPA’s website: A European Resilience Mechanism for Strategic Industrial Materials

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