Minerals4EU Brochure

A leading minerals

intelligence network

for Europe

www.minerals4eu.eu

Technical Coordination : Juha Kaija, Geological Survey of Finland ([email protected])

Scientific Coordination : Nikolaos Arvanitidis, European Geological Surveys, Mineral Resources Expert Group/Swedish Geological Survey ([email protected])

Funded by

ObjectivesThe project will produce the most comprehensive European Minerals Yearbook alongside an operational INSPIRE compliant EU Minerals Knowledge Data Platform that will allow all stakeholders to search, view and acquire standardised georesource and related data. It will constitute a new knowledge base of primary and secondary resources in Europe that is interoperable with national databases. The main objectives are :

• To create a minerals intelligence network to facilitate access to raw materials information sources.

• To develop a methodology required to set up a pan-European data and knowledge base on primary mineral resources, on land (down to 4 km depth) and below sea, and secondary resources such as landfills, mining waste, stockpiles etc.).

• To develop a comprehensive EU mineral data/statistics programme that collects national-level data on minerals among the Member States.

• To develop a forward-looking analysis on minerals supply and demand in Europe; this will facilitate proper policy making to assist adequate access to mineral raw materials.

• To set up a powerful portal, providing information on mineral resources and deposits within the European Union.

Why is Minerals4EU important?

The Minerals4EU project is designed to meet recommendations of the Raw Materials Initiative and to make a fundamental contribution to the European Innovation Partnership on Raw Materials (EIP RM), seen by the Competitiveness Council as key for the successful implementation of major EU2020 policies.

The geology of Europe varies considerably and, as a consequence, the continent has a rich endowment of different kinds of economic minerals. Historically, the economic development of individual European countries has been built on the resources within their own borders, but throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries the demand within Europe has increasingly exceeded its capacity to supply. As a consequence, many European countries are dependent on imports for the majority of minerals needed to support the standards of living as demanded by society. As the global demand for and production of minerals has grown, the share of the total production held by many European countries has generally declined. However, a variety of minerals are still produced within Europe on a significant scale.

The need for better understanding of mineral and metal resources within the EU is fuelled by the need to reduce the dependence on imports of raw materials from outside Europe. Minerals4EU will therefore contribute to and support decision making on policy and adaptation strategies to be undertaken by the Commission, as well as supporting security of supply for resources and raw materials supply for Europe, by developing a network structure with minerals information and data products, based on authoritative information sources.

Minerals4EU integrates the best available mineral expertise and information, building on the knowledge base of geological surveys and other relevant stakeholders, in support of public policy-making, industry, society, and education in Europe and globally.

How do we plan to do it ? Twenty-six National Geological Surveys, which are the key holders of geology-related data, the umbrella organization EuroGeoSurveys and 5 organisations within the minerals sector are involved. This consortium comprises some of the best available mineral and raw material expertise and the most authoritative data for policy, industry, and education purposes at the European level. The project has been divided into six Work Packages (WP) :

• WP1 Project Management • WP2 Sustainable Minerals Intelligence Network • WP3 Knowledge Management • WP4 Minerals Statistics• WP5 Minerals4EU Knowledge Data Platform • WP6 Foresight Study

Results and Deliverables The project will :

• Provide data on a truly pan-European level

• Identify issues and make recommendations on the availability and accessibility of data (e.g. national mining laws)

• Make contact with organisations other than geological surveys, that hold relevant data, and have expertise both on national and European level

• Establish a ”permanent body” to guarantee the sustainability of the network and the continuous collection of data after the end of the project.

• Publish a digital European Minerals Yearbook based on data gathered systematically and in a standardised format

The aim of Minerals4EU is to develop a leading European mineral intelligence network which provides the European Commission and relevant stakeholders with the information

and expertise to enhance resource efficiency, to improve minerals supply security and to support sustainable minerals development within Europe. Before the end of the

Minerals4EU project, a blueprint for the continuation of the network will be developed.

It will then provide information and knowledge on mineral resources within Europe to the EC and relevant stakeholders on a regular basis,

The information and knowledge will be provided by those most directly involved- regional, national, European bodies and private sector data providers and stakeholders.

Minerals4EU is a project that will provide the most extensive data and high-quality knowledge-based products on mineral resources and their utilization within Europe. The project aims to develop a permanent EU Mineral intelligence network and to publish a European Minerals Yearbook via the internet.

The project will produce the most comprehensive European Minerals Yearbook alongside an operational INSPIRE compliant EU Minerals Knowledge Data Platform that will allow all stakeholders to search, view and acquire standardised georesource and related data. It will constitute a new knowledge base of primary and secondary resources in Europe that is interoperable with national databases.