Commissioner Dan Jørgensen, in a written answer on 12 June 2026, ruled out extending the Critical Raw Materials Act to cover radioactive minerals, arguing that the existing Euratom legal framework already ensures security of supply for nuclear fuels. The response, addressed to a question from MEP Jorge Martín Frías (PfE), signals the Commission's intention to maintain a separate regulatory track for nuclear materials, diverging from the strategic treatment afforded to minerals like lithium and rare earths for renewable energy technologies.
The answer, which is a reply to a parliamentary question submitted on 7 April 2026, contains no concrete proposals for new legislation or numerical targets. Instead, it reiterates the Commission's reliance on the Euratom Treaty and the Euratom Supply Agency to monitor supply, support diversification, and safeguard fissile materials. Jørgensen pointed to the May 2025 REPowerEU Roadmap, which outlines actions to phase out Russian nuclear material supplies and ramp up EU alternative capacity, as evidence of ongoing policy attention. He also noted that the global market for natural uranium is currently diversified and that other nuclear fuel components like zirconium are either mined in sufficient quantities or already listed in the Critical Raw Materials Act.
The policy orientation is clear: the Commission sees no regulatory asymmetry, as nuclear fuels are already covered by a dedicated framework. This stance maintains a cleavage between the treatment of nuclear and renewable energy supply chains, potentially impacting EU nuclear fuel suppliers and operators who may seek similar diversification and investment incentives as those provided for critical raw materials. The answer also affects EU energy security policy, as it leaves nuclear fuel diversification under the Euratom umbrella rather than the broader Critical Raw Materials Act. Institutional follow-up is likely to focus on implementation of the REPowerEU Roadmap and continued monitoring by the Euratom Supply Agency, with no immediate legislative proposal expected.