In the last decade, a structural change has taken place in the world’s mineral markets and the global demand for raw materials stands at the bottom of a new growth curve. In this perspective, safeguarding the domestic minerals supply in a sustainable and responsible way will be challenging not only to Europe but also to other technologically advanced countries such as Australia, Canada, Japan, South Africa and the United States. As part of the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 Programme for Research & Innovation (R&I), the new EU funded 36‐month project INTRAW has been launched in February 2015 to foster international cooperation on raw materials.

Organised by the African Union Commission and the European Commission the EU-AU Joint Session on Infrastructure for the Minerals Sector took place in Brussels from 19th to 20th March 2015.

The aim of this event was to discuss the infrastructure needs of the raw materials sector and identify ways in which those can find support in the broader context of existing and planned infrastructure projects and networks. 

From 12th to 14th March 2015 Crans Montana Forum took place in Dakhla, Marocco. The aim of the Forum was to create an opportunity for top-level Representatives of Africa and the rest of the World, and the local populations to interact and share projects and visions for the future.
The event gathered top level decision makers from governments, NGOs and the private sector from around the world, aiming to address the challenges of African integration, Africa’s role on the international stage, the new South-South synergies of common development, the issues of natural resources and growth.

Raw Materials Initiative and the European Innovation Partnership on Raw Materials are key policies that may contribute decisively to maintaining the competitiveness and sustainability of European industry, and consequently, the maintenance or creation of new jobs, especially in regions that were affected by restructuring due to globalization. 
Going local in events that will be organized in four Member States in 2015 will create the right framework to better understand the situation on the ground and the concerns/challenges of the Member States.