Skip to main content
Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs

Euromines Network for implementation and exchange on Non-Technological Raw-Materials Innovation in the EU

Objectives of the commitment

Euromines, as the recognized representative of the European metals and minerals mining industry to the European Institutions and a service provider to its members in the Member States, wishes to engage its network of membership for the effective implementation of the SIP. Therefore EC originating actions need to be taken to national, regional or local level. Member States have the sovereign right to exploit their own resources pursuant to their own economic, social, environmental and developmental policies. The natural endowment with primary resources depends very much on geology and the availability of secondary resources very much depends on historic development of the country and its economy and the national economic policies. Euromines provides a suitable network for this implementation, cooperation and for the exchange of information throughout the sector within Europe and links to the mining community throughout the world.

Description of the activities

1. EU - Euromines cooperation with DG Enterprise and RMSG
2. Czech Republic: ADOPTION OF A NEW CZECH MINERALS POLICY
3. Slovakia: DEVELOPMENT OF A SLOVAK MINERALS POLICY
4. UK: DEVELOPMENT OF A UK MINERALS POLICY
5. Greece: PREPARATION OF SPECIAL LAND USE PLANNING FOR MINERAL RAW MATERIALS, 2014-2017
6. EU - Awareness raising on the importance of raw materials 2014-2020
7. Multiple EU- Member States: Taking an example further: Austria
8. Multiple EU- Member States: National Sustainability Platforms. Most of the established senior mining companies have developed sustainability work based on general global standards. In the development chain of a new mine project it is common that small junior companies with less experience of sustainability work faces many contacts with authorities and stakeholders due to permitting processes of the mineral and environmental acts. This can lead to conflict and misunderstanding between the authorities, companies and stakeholders. It is necessary in that situation for a company to be able to fulfil not only the technological design criteria for a new mine site but also the demands of knowledge and communication of economic, environmental and social impact (or sustainability). Euromines will explore the possibility to adapt existing tools for community dialogue (ICMM) to the situation in a number of Member States, in particular for junior companies, to overcome conflictual situations with local communities.
Existing national legislative frameworks address the formal process for the development of a project and mine, but the “social” aspects are not addressed sufficiently.
Euromines will support national mining associations in evaluating existing sustainability platforms in the sector (e.g., Mining Association of Canada, Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada, Minerals Council of Australia, Federation of Indian Mineral Industries, International Council on Mining & Metals, Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, Global Reporting Initiative, UN Global Compact etc.,) for possible adaptation to the needs of all mining companies operating in their respective countries taking into account national conditions (i.e. Spain, France, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Greece, Finland, Romania, Bulgaria, Sweden, etc.)
9. Portugal: improve knowledge of the market and to foster know-how by Portuguese companies
10. EU - Standardised Professional descriptions and qualifications. Euromines will continue the project until its finalisation: piloting the approach for the jobs of “mine manager”, “blasting engineer” and “miner”.
11. UK - Competence and Competence Assessment in UK Underground Mines
12. EU - Safer by Design

Description of the expected impacts

Exchange of Best Practice amongst Member States.
Realisation of synergies available within individual Member State initiatives.
Improved Minerals Policy and Land-Use Planning in several Member States.
Increased public awareness, acceptance and credentials of the raw-materials supply industries in individual Member States.
Increased awareness and knowledge of raw-material flows and market opportunities within the EU.
Improved safety performance through more consistent professional training, qualification and competence and increased mobility of skills and labour between Member States.

Coordinating organisation & role

Name of the coordinating organisation: European Association of Mining Industries, Metal Ores & Industrial Minerals (Euromines)Country: BelgiumEntity profile: OtherRole within the commitment:

Lead EU partner, supporting national contributions

Other partners

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Angewandten Forschung e.V.

Name of the organisation: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Angewandten Forschung e.V. Country: Germany Entity profile: Governmental/public body
Role within the commitment: Fraunhofer will lead the CFRP and GFRP recycling research.
Fraunhofer will perform corrosion tests on the developed materials.
Fraunhofer will work with CIDAUT on the implementation, validation and refinement of LCCA tools for the project. Fraunhofer is the Quality Manager of the Consortium and will oversee deliverables and general reporting are produced with the best possible quality following agreed review standards.

Fundacion Cidaut

Name of the organisation: Fundacion Cidaut Country: Spain Entity profile:
Role within the commitment: CIDAUT will lead the research activities on materials recycling and compounding, implementing lab scale demonstrators of each process at its premises and, later, supporting end-users upscale the processes.
CIDAUT will perform mechanical tests, microstructural analyses, injection moulding capability studies on the developed materails, and will work with Fraunhofer on the implementation, validation and refinement of LCCA tools for the project.

RWTH Aachen University (Institute of plastic processing (IKV)

Name of the organisation: RWTH Aachen University (Institute of plastic processing (IKV) Country: Germany Entity profile: Governmental/public body
Role within the commitment: RWTH will implement the novel 3D Generative Preforming process (3D Fibre Spraying) that enables to create high-value long fibre-reinforced 3D preforms for thermoplastic and thermoset composites at low process costs (different kinds of yarn as a raw material, low tooling costs due to low cavity pressures). This cost effective technology allows to align the sprayed fibres in order to produce high-performance, engineered anisotropic products.

Universita' di Cagliari

Name of the organisation: Universita' di Cagliari Country: Italy Entity profile:
Role within the commitment: University of Cagliari is one of the leading European organization in the resin design and coupling with thermoplastic and thermose materials. University of Cagliari will support in the definition of the composite materials, both from CFRP/GFRP, ABS and Rare Earth composite material.

Relight

Name of the organisation: Relight Country: Italy Entity profile: Private sector - SME
Role within the commitment: RELIGHT will work with ITRB to provide the research partners with residues for the recycled ABS supply and the REE recovery processes, including their HydroWEEE process as part of the processes to be studied and analyzed.

Piaggio Aerospace

Name of the organisation: Piaggio Aerospace Country: Italy Entity profile: Private sector - large company
Role within the commitment: Piaggio Aerospace is one of the project End Users (Aeronautics Industry): as such it will provide requirements and further applications that could be developed with the Consortium Materials. Piaggio will assist in the compounds selection, provide Fraunhofer with specific corrosion requirements on business jet size aircraft, and will assess that the developed materials performance fits the selected applications desired improvements.

Blackshape Aircrafts

Name of the organisation: Blackshape Aircrafts Country: Italy Entity profile: Private sector - SME
Role within the commitment: Blackshape Aircrafts is one of the project End Users (Aeronautics Industry): as such it will provide requirements and further applications that could be developed with the Consortium Materials. Blackshape will support to fulfill the requirements of the aeronautics industry on ultra light jet, light jet and trainer for Syllabus, and will assess that the developed alloys performance fits the selected applications desired improvements.

KU Leuven

Name of the organisation: KU Leuven Country: Belgium Entity profile: Academia
Role within the commitment: KUL will collaborate on the balance problem studies and will lead the rare earth recovery research with the solvometallurgical and ionometallurgical processes.
KUL will also contribute to the final compounding selection.
KUL is the Dissemination Manager of the project, promoting that all partners are active on the project Dissemination.

FIDAMC

Name of the organisation: FIDAMC Country: Spain Entity profile: Governmental/public body
Role within the commitment: FIDAMC is going to lead the Work Package on Compression Moulding with CFRP-enhanced materials. As part of the AIRBUS Group, FIDAMC will also be able to provide the input material.
FIDAMC successfully developed a 3D Printer of own design to serve the Aerospace Industry and will be supporting Smart Lab 3D Industries in its 3D printer design.

COMPOSITE INNOVATION CENTER

Name of the organisation: COMPOSITE INNOVATION CENTER Country: Canada Entity profile: Governmental/public body
Role within the commitment: Composite Innovation Center is one of the world leading organization in the field of Composite materials, both from carbon fiber and vegetal-based fibers.
Composite Innovation center has successfully implemented, at lab-scale, recycling processes for CFRP and GFRP.

Existing EU Contribution: No

Period to implement the commitment: from 10-02-2014 to 31-12-2019