Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has called for a swift increase in the raw materials fund for rare earths after his South America trip. He met his Brazilian counterpart Mauro Vieira in Brasília.
Wadephul stressed that China is already present and the United States is arriving. “That is why we must not stay in the waiting hall for too long, but must move forward,” he said.
The fund is intended to reach a volume of up to one billion euros. KfW has already supported initial projects to make German companies less dependent on supplies mainly from China.
Brazil is considered an important trading partner for Germany in South America. Wadephul also praised the Mercosur agreement as a “game changer,” which had provisionally entered into force at the beginning of May.