Germany will present security strategy this week, including focus on raw materials

Germany’s government will present the long-awaited National Security Strategy on Wednesday (14 June), with critical raw materials as one focus, said chancellor Olaf Scholz at the East German Economic Forum. “Raw materials play a central role in the diversification of our supply chains,” said Scholz, adding that the European Union was working to secure a reliable supply of strategically important raw materials for Europe with the Critical Raw Materials Act. “Next Wednesday, we will adopt our National Security Strategy in Cabinet. It will also focus on precisely this issue,” said the chancellor.

Germany’s ruling coalition had agreed to present a “comprehensive national security strategy” – the first of its kind – within the first year in office but the drafting was delayed due to discussions within the coalition. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine underlined the importance of a consistent strategy which can be followed by all ministries – from defence to energy. It forced Germany to radically rethink many fundamental policy fields, such as its energy policy, given that the country used to be heavily dependent on Russian fossil fuels.

The media reported that the government would use the strategy to enshrine a vow to spend 2 percent of Germany’s economic output on defence, which is a NATO target. However, climate change is also set to play a major role. In a speech in March 2022, foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said that the strategy would be aimed at “securing our livelihood, including its foundations”. The climate crisis and its effects on people’s lives around the world would be at the heart of the strategy, she said, calling climate change “the security policy question of our time”. The government is also working on a China Strategy and a Climate Foreign Policy Strategy, which are both intertwined with the National Security Strategy.