On 24 March 2026, stakeholders gathered in Augsburg for the REEsilience Main Event to discuss Europe’s rare earth and magnet value chain. The REEsilience Main Event brought together industry, research, and policy to address practical challenges, particularly in recycling and supply chain resilience.
Overall, the discussions focused on concrete barriers rather than broad strategies. At the same time, participants highlighted how closely connected each stage of the value chain has become.
From mine to magnet: industry perspectives
One session at the REEsilience Main Event focused on strengthening the European supply chain for permanent magnets. Speakers addressed coordination across processing, manufacturing, and recycling.
Matej Zaplotnik (Magneti Ljubljana) joined the panel discussion. He explained how processing technologies influence magnet performance. In addition, the panel examined recycling challenges and digital tools such as product passports.
As he noted, better traceability is needed across the value chain. Therefore, stronger cooperation between actors remains essential.
Circularity and recycling: practical barriers
Another panel at the REEsilience Main Event focused on circularity, with contributions from actors working across waste management, research, and manufacturing.
Laura Melandri (ERION) moderated the discussion, which highlighted how dependent recycling solutions are on upstream decisions such as product design and collection systems.
A recurring issue was access to end-of-life magnets. These materials often remain embedded in complex products. Therefore, they are difficult to identify and recover before entering scrap streams.
However, speakers also shared practical insights. Recycled materials can meet performance requirements when:
- feedstock quality is understood
- specifications are aligned
- processes are controlled
Market conditions remain a constraint
Despite technical progress, adoption remains limited.
Insights shared at the REEsilience Main Event, including contributions from Kolektor Mobility (Ana Drmota Petrič and Karla Kosmač), showed that cost still drives purchasing decisions. Although interest in European materials is growing, price often determines final choices.
As a result, recycled materials struggle to scale. This creates a gap between innovation and implementation.
The discussion reinforced the need for:
- clearer regulatory direction at EU level
- stronger alignment between policy and industry
- incentives that support the use of recycled materials
Exchange across projects and stakeholders at the REEsilience Main Event 2026
Beyond the panel sessions, the event provided space for exchange between EU-funded projects and industry representatives.
HARMONY partners, including Kolektor Mobility, ERION, Magneti Ljubljana, and Steinbeis Europa Zentrum, contributed to discussions and the exhibition. They shared ongoing work and engaged with stakeholders.
Overall, participants described the atmosphere as open and focused. In addition, many discussions addressed practical challenges rather than general concepts.
Looking ahead
The REEsilience Main Event showed that many technical solutions already exist. However, scaling them remains difficult.
Improving access to end-of-life magnets is essential. At the same time, market conditions must evolve to support recycled and European materials.
Therefore, continued collaboration across industry, research, and policy will remain important.
Read more about the REEsilience event here.
Explore HARMONY’s work here.
Explore other EU-funded projects such as GREENE, INSPIREE, MaDiTraCe, PERMANET, REMHub, SCREEN3.
