A consortium, led by TNO (and as partners Euromines, d’Appolonia, BRGM, Ifremer, NTUA, the University of Leoben, CIKTN) (and endorsed by the ETP-SMR) has been tasked by the EC to collect information and suggestions on innovative technologies and pilot plants throughout the EU-27, and propose criteria and indicators to come to a prioritization among these suggestions. This will support the ambition of the EIP on Raw Materials to target  10 innovative pilot actions along the whole raw materials value chain. Yesterday, an invitation to participate in a web-based questionnaire was issued to a long list of industry associations and European Technology Platforms, with the request to distribute the information about this questionnaire to their members and associates.

On March 9, 2012 Euromines, the European Association of Mining Enterprise, organised a Conference on Critical Raw Materials in Brussels. About 130 delegates attended.

The event was stimulated by the European Union Report on Criticality and aimed at providing input for the upcoming review of results achieved so far, the fine-tuning of the methodology, presenting specific case studies, benchmarking with similar work outside the EU and taking into account what had already been done at UN and OECD level.

Euromines has released its new publication 'Mineral Resources in Land Use Planning - Why Consider Minerals in LUP'?

Although specific definitions may vary, land use planning (LUP) is generally about optimising land resource use for the benefit of society, both now and into the future. In many ways, LUP is about the implementation of sustainable development on a particular land-base.

In any given area, there can be many different potential land uses – agriculture, tourism, soil erosion prevention, climate control, etc. – and these can compete with each other. The process for deciding on future land use needs to incorporate an informed and balanced assessment of the different options. Transparent consultation and stakeholder engagement can play an important role in the integrity of the process and acceptance of land use decisions.

Euromines welcomes the issuing of the new EU’s Communication on “Tackling the challenges in commodity markets and on raw materials”.

In particular the sector welcomes the acknowledgement of the importance of raw materials for the growth of the European economy.

“At the heart of current developments lies a series of changes in global supply and demand patters as well as short term shocks in key commodity and raw material markets. The years 2002 to 2008 were marked by a major surge in demand for raw materials, driven by strong economic growth, particularly in emerging countries such as China. This increase in demand will be reinforced by the further rapid industrialisation and urbanisation in countries such as China, India and Brazil. China is already the largest consumer of metals in the world – its share of copper consumption, for example, has risen from 12% to about 40% over the last 10 years. Prices movements have been exacerbated by various structural problems in the supply and distribution chains of different commodities.”