Zależność gospodarek państw członkowskich Unii Europejskiej od importu metali

Purpose | The aim of the article is to identify the impact of the environmental taxes and the use of secondary materials on the level of dependence of the economies of the European Union member states on metal imports from outside the EU during crisis situations. Research method | The subject of the study is the dependence on metal imports in the years 2020–2022. The study covered 27 EU Member States. The study used cross-sectional and temporal data. A panel model was built using a fixed-effects estimator (FE). Results | Member States differ in the level of dependence on metal imports from outside EU, which may translate into differences in their raw material dependence. Based on the constructed panel model, it can be concluded that during crisis situations (2020–2022), the level of dependence on metal imports from outside the EU was influenced by the level of metals production and the level of aluminium, nickel, and precious metals imports. Along with the increase in the ratio of investment to GDP, the level of dependence on imports of metals decreased. Countries with a higher share of environmental taxes in total tax revenues may be more dependent on metal imports from outside the EU. No impact of the use of secondary materials on the level of dependence on metal imports from outside the EU was found. Originality / value / implications / recommendations | These conclusions are important for countries and international organizations supporting them interested in reducing the level of resource dependency, also during crisis situations.