On 12 March 2019, a first meeting of the Working Group on Raw Materials in the framework of the High-level Ukraine-EU dialogue on horizontal issues and specific industrial sectors was held in Brussels.

Ukrainian side presented the potential of Ukraine in the field of mining, in particular with a regard to critical raw materials (rare earth, energy mineral resources), expressed interest in engaging European partners into the exploration and further development of such deposits in Ukraine and launching of joint projects.

European side was briefed about the progress of reforming the subsoil sphere in Ukraine, disclosure of geological information and providing a favorable investment climate in the mining industry.

Ukrainian partners proposed the European Commission to launch a joint project to support Ukraine's verification of available information on explored and potential stocks of critical raw materials.

The European side informed about the state of the mining, processing and refining of raw materials in Europe, which are used in batteries, and noted a lack of capacity for the processing and refining of such materials.

Sides also discussed possible ways to reduce security risks of supplying raw materials for the production of batteries in Europe.