The International Energy Agency said that falling investment in critical minerals and concentrated supply chains are creating new risks for France [1].
These shortages threaten the nation's ability to secure raw materials necessary for its industrial and energy transition. As France accelerates its national strategy to obtain these resources, the IEA report highlights a precarious global landscape where supply volatility could stall green infrastructure projects.
The report, published June 17, 2026, said that investment in critical minerals declined throughout 2025 [1]. This downturn coincides with a trend where supply chains have become more concentrated, leaving individual nations more vulnerable to geopolitical shifts and trade disruptions.
France is currently racing to secure the raw materials required to modernize its industry and meet energy goals [1]. The concentration of these minerals in a few regions creates a bottleneck for countries attempting to pivot away from fossil fuels toward sustainable technology.
This vulnerability is underscored by the scale of global dependence on specific markets. Some estimates suggest that China's dominance of critical minerals puts $6.5 trillion [2] of global industry at risk.
France has stepped up its strategy to mitigate these risks by diversifying its sources of raw materials [1]. However, the IEA said that the overall decline in global investment makes this pursuit more difficult as competition for limited resources increases.
“Investment in critical minerals declined throughout 2025.”
The IEA's findings suggest that the transition to green energy is not merely a technological or political challenge, but a logistical one tied to mineral scarcity. For France, the risk is that strategic ambitions may be undermined by a global investment slump, forcing the government to compete in a high-cost, high-risk market dominated by a few global players.
