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Workers are seen at the production line of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles (EV) at a factory in Huzhou, Zhejiang province, China August 28, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer Acquire Licensing RightsMADRID, Sept 17 (Reuters) - The European Union could become as dependent on China for lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells by 2030 as it was on Russia for energy before the war in Ukraine unless it takes strong measures, a paper prepared for EU leaders said.The document, obtained by Reuters, will be the basis of discussions on Europe's economic security during a...

COVAS DO BARROSO, Portugal, Sept 13 (Reuters) - In Portugal's northern Barroso region, Maria Loureiro weeps at the prospect of losing her family's land to a mine that could become one of Europe's biggest producers of lithium, used in electric vehicle batteries and other clean technologies."I don't want them to take away what has been left to me by my parents and grandparents," 55-year-old Loureiro said. "I don't want the mine ... I will fight it to the death."She is among local activists in Portugal and elsewhere whose determination to...

FILE PHOTO-European Union flags flutter outside the EU Commission headquarters, in Brussels, Belgium, February 1, 2023 REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Sept 13 (Reuters) - The European Commission said on Wednesday that financial institutions are not backing the EU's new deforestation law, which has faced a backlash from producing countries concerned it will create unfair trade barriers.The landmark law requires importers of commodities like coffee, cocoa, beef, soy, rubber and palm oil to produce a due diligence statement proving their goods are not contributing to the destruction of forests,...