* Europe Faces Shortages of High-Tech Mineral Raw Materials: Platinum group metals and rare earth materials, essential for fuel cells and catalysts, are among a group of 14 critical mineral materials that a group of European Commission experts has identified as presenting possible bottlenecks for future high technology advances. The group’s report, the first-ever overview on access to these materials in the European Union,  will be the basis for a forthcoming strategy designed to ensure access to these materials that’s expected to be published this fall. The experts, after analyzing data on 41 minerals and materials, listed these 14 as “critical”: antimony, beryllium, cobalt, fluorspar, gallium, germanium, graphite, indium, magnesium, niobium, PGMs (platinum group metals), rare earths, tantalum and tungsten. Platinum, palladium, rare earth ... Log in to view full article.