ERA-MIN:Network on the Industrial Handling of Raw Materials for European Industries

Η ΕυρωπαΪκή Επιτροπή έχει πρόσφατα αναδείξει το έργο ERA-MIN, ένα ευρωπαϊκό δίκτυο για τις μη-ενεργειακές ορυκτές πρώτες ύλες με ιδιαίτερη αναφορά σε αυτά που είναι περισσότερο γνωστά σαν στρατηγικά ή κρίσιμα μέταλλα. Η Ελλάδα, με την συμμετοχή του ΥΠΕΚΑ και του ΙΓΜΕ είναι το νεώτερο μέλος αυτής της πρωτοβουλίας, απόφαση που θα ανακοινωθεί επίσημα στο τέλος του Φεβρουαρίου σε συνάντηση όλων των εταίρων του έργου στην Στοκχόλμη. Στόχος του έργου είναι κυρίως να ενισχύσει τον παραγωγική δυναμική των ευρωπαϊκών ορυκτών
ώστε να καλύπτονται σε μεγαλύτερο βαθμό οι συνολικές ανάγκες της ευρωπαϊκής βιομηχανίας από εσωτερικές πηγές.

The European Commission has just set up the ERA-MIN project, an ERA-NET on non-energy mineral resources, also known as 'strategic' or 'critical' metals. The project is set to run for four years. Coordinated by CNRS, the new consortium was officially launched on 8 November 2011 in Brussels and will form the basis of a major European network for the mineral raw materials community called ENERC (European non-energy mineral raw materials research community). Non-energy mineral resources such as selenium, titanium, lithium, the rare earths, etc, are vital to the European economy. However, these precious resources, which are used in the automotive, aviation, wind power, photovoltaic and lighting industries, as well as in the high-tech sector as whole, are monopolized mainly by China. The European Union only produces 3% of these mineral resources, on which it nonetheless relies heavily. Securing supplies has therefore become crucial, prompting the European Commission to set up ERA-MIN, in order to structure this highly fragmented research area and ensure that it is represented in the leading European research and innovation bodies. ERA-MIN is coordinated by CNRS and currently comprises 11 partners from 9 countries: France (CNRS), Germany (BMBF, Jülich), Sweden (VINNOVA, SGU), The Netherlands (M2i), Finland (TEKES), Spain (CDTI), Portugal (FCT), Poland (NCBiR), and Hungary (MBFH). The number of partners is set to increase over the project's lifetime, with a view to establishing a European network. The latter will seek to bring together a significant number of planning and funding agencies for the development of a Europe-wide research and innovation area on non-energy mineral resources.
ERA-MIN is intended to be:
• A forum for the scientific and technical communities, the existing European platform ETP-SMR, and the leading public-sector, economic and industrial contractors involved to exchange and share information, across as many European countries as possible.
• A think-tank for long-range planning.
• A benchmark structure that will help Governments of Member States to adapt their national policies and strategies in line with the European vision.
• A tool to foster intergovernmental coordination and public-private funding.
ERA-MIN will also develop and formalize necessary partnerships with countries in regions outside the EU such as Russia, North and South America, Africa, etc.
ERA-MIN is organized around three main areas:
• Cross-cutting issues
- Mineral intelligence: definition of mineral criticality and its indicators, life cycle assessment, measurement of land use competition; analysis and description of industrial processes and technologies, raw material flows, and market and mining practices.
- Social perception and acceptability
- Training
• Primary resources (terrestrial resources, marine resources, environmental impact)
• Secondary resources (recycling) and substitution