The Group of Seven nations are discussing a permanent secretariat to coordinate critical mineral policy beyond the bloc’s rotating presidencies, according to five sources familiar with the talks.
The proposal reflects growing concern among Western governments about China’s dominance over minerals tied to defence, manufacturing and the energy transition. Additionally, officials want stronger coordination on supply chains for lithium, cobalt and rare earth elements.
The discussions come as governments across Europe and North America push to secure long-term access to strategic materials. However, disagreements remain over how those supplies should be managed during a crisis. Two sources said European governments rejected proposals for a shared international stockpile. Instead, they prefer national control over domestic reserves and emergency inventories.
European officials also resisted the idea of the United States leading the initiative. Furthermore, several governments expressed concern Washington could restrict mineral access during a geopolitical emergency. The European Union has already started developing its own pilot stockpile project. Italy, France and Germany currently lead that initiative.
Sources said the proposed secretariat could operate from either the International Energy Agency or the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Both organizations maintain headquarters in Paris. The sources did not provide a timeline for the project’s launch. However, they said the office could help implement decisions reached during the G7 leaders’ summit in Evian this June.
France currently holds the rotating G7 presidency. Consequently, French officials have taken a central role in organizing talks around critical mineral supply chains. French Finance Minister Roland Lescure said Thursday’s online G7 meeting would focus on reducing dependence on China for key raw materials,
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Agency held a workshop in Brussels on Tuesday
France’s finance ministry declined to comment on the broader negotiations.
Meanwhile, the International Energy Agency confirmed it is already studying critical mineral stockpiling systems. Two sources said the agency is examining ways to align stockpile policies with future production targets.
The agency held a workshop in Brussels on Tuesday to discuss technical aspects of mineral reserves with government and industry representatives. An IEA spokesperson said participants examined industry perspectives and methods for designing effective stockpiling systems. Additionally, officials discussed how governments could coordinate future reserve policies.
Documents reviewed by Reuters showed representatives from the United States, Germany, France, Canada, Italy and Spain registered for the workshop. The European Commission also planned to participate.
Corporate attendees included General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM), Glencore plc (LON: GLEN), Leonardo S.p.A. (BIT: LDO) and Umicore SA (EBR: UMI), according to workshop documents distributed to participants.
China also benefits from scale and pricing power that many competitors struggle to match. State-backed financing, lower labour costs and decades of industrial policy allowed Chinese firms to expand rapidly across the mineral supply chain. Additionally, Beijing invested heavily in refining capacity while Western countries focused more on technology and consumer markets.
That advantage now extends beyond mining into manufacturing. China produces most of the world’s lithium-ion batteries and dominates large sections of the electric vehicle supply chain. Consequently, many Western automakers remain dependent on Chinese materials or components even when sourcing minerals elsewhere. Governments in North America and Europe now view that dependence as both an economic vulnerability and a potential national security risk during future geopolitical disputes.
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