| dc.description.abstract | The world needs to transition towards green, sustainable societies, and this transition depends on raw materials. With the COVID-19 pandemic, the vulnerabilities of global value chains were spotlighted by the experience of supply disruption. With recent geopolitical tensions and China as the world's primary supplier of raw materials, uncertainty in the international environment has spurred different actors to take action to secure their access to raw materials. Accordingly, there is a global race for raw materials. This thesis aims to contribute to the literature on non-firm actors' role in Global Production Networks by paying attention to the European Union (EU) in this global race.
The thesis investigates how the proposed regulatory framework by the European Commission, as of March 2023: the Critical Raw Material Act (CRMA), aims to facilitate its participation in Critical Raw Materials Global Production Networks. The thesis benefits from data triangulation of document analysis, semi-structured interviews, and non-participatory observation. By employing the Global Production Network, the thesis understands the complex relationships of global value chains and the complexity of partaking in the global economy.
The thesis finds that through the CRMA, the EU takes several facilitative measures towards more robust European integration in critical raw materials value chains and, thus, global production networks. The thesis finds that the EU attempts facilitation by stimulating stable investment environments, investing in skills development and research and innovation, fostering and maintaining open international trade relations, signalling priority needs, and urging industry-specific project development through financial support and state aid.
The thesis's significance is in contributing to the under-studied field of the role and significance of non-firm actors in global production networks. | |