BERLIN, March 3 – Germany and Quebec strengthened their critical minerals partnership on Tuesday, signing ‌a joint declaration and four corporate agreements at ‌the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) mining conference in Toronto.

The deals, ​announced by Germany's economy ministry, aim to bolster supply chains for materials key to industries such as electric vehicles, defense and renewable energy. Quebec, a leading ‌mining hub in Canada, ⁠is viewed as an important supplier of lithium, graphite, nickel and rare earth elements.

Here ⁠are some details from the statement:• The joint declaration on critical minerals was signed at the Prospectors & ​Developers Association ​of Canada mining conference ​in Toronto, the economy ‌ministry said in the statement.• The ministry said the agreements aim to strengthen supply chains for materials vital to electric vehicles, defence and renewable energy industries.• Rock Tech Lithium and Siemens Canada signed a memorandum ‌of understanding.• Scandium Canada and ​Granges Powder Metallurgy agreed on ​a technology collaboration.• Destiny ​Copper and thyssenkrupp Marine Systems concluded ‌a memorandum of understanding.• Metalshub ​and Northern Graphite ​established a partnership on raw materials trading.• The ministry said the agreements mark "a strong and tangible ​signal" that ‌the partnership is progressing and that they provide ​concrete projects and binding commitments.

(Reporting by Kirsti ​Knolle, Editing by Friederike Heine)