Enhancing EU Mining Regional Ecosystems to Support the Green Transition and Secure Mineral Raw Materials Supply

Enhancing EU Mining Regional Ecosystems to Secure Mineral Raw Materials Supply and the Green Transition

The project aims to enhance subnational conditions for improving the European Union’s selfsufficiency in and competitiveness of critical raw materials, while ensuring environmental responsibility and community benefits. The beneficiary regions are: Central Ostrobothnia, Kainuu, Lapland, North Karelia and Oulu (Finland), Central Greece (Greece), Alentejo and Centro (Portugal), Andalusia (Spain) and Örebro (Sweden).

Context

Securing a stable supply of minerals is a priority for the European Union and its member states to strengthen economic sovereignty and competitiveness, boost defense capabilities, and meet EU climate goals. In this context, the 2024 Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) has set out measures for member states to increase mineral supply in the European Union via new mines, processing facilities and recycling sources. Subnational conditions are essential to this effort, as Regions can ease access to mineral deposits, help mitigate environmental impacts, shape project approvals through improved community participation and communications, and provide the workforce, services and infrastructure needed for efficient operations.

The ten EU regions in this project are key players, hosting mineral-rich sites and innovation hubs. Many have developed governance models that better align mining with regional priorities. However, EU mining regions face several challenges that may limit their ability to contribute to CRMA targets. They include low public trust, permitting delays, skills gaps, and limited integration of mining into broader regional development strategies and capacity gaps to access support for innovation and circular projects.

Support to be delivered

The OECD provided support to the ten beneficiary regions through analyses and recommendations to: • Develop a regional-specific framework of action to enhance the regional mining ecosystem, outlining actions with regards to the regional policy framework for mining, mining governance and communications, regional innovation and circular economy, local labour markets, as well as enabling infrastructure. • Prepare a common framework of action to enhance EU regional mining ecosystems with common priorities and recommendations across regions. • Enhance regional capacity to improve their mining ecosystems through regional workshops, an inter-regional peer learning event and one policy workshop among beneficiary regions, national and EU representatives. • Strengthen multi-level governance and cross-regional collaboration within the EU to enhance regional mining ecosystems’ ability to balance mineral supply needs with environmental sustainability. This project is funded by the European Union via the Technical Support Instrument and implemented by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), in cooperation with the European Commission. It started in July 2023 and lasted for 24 months.

Results achieved

The project supports the beneficiary regions and countries in achieving the following outcomes:

A framework of action to improve the regional mining ecosystem of beneficiary regions with a greater strategic vision on the role of mining in regional development.
Improved capacity of beneficiary regions to support the supply of mineral raw materials with higher sustainability standards and positive environmental, economic and social well-being effects in regional inhabitants.

Over the long term, this is expected to lead to an improved economic, social and environmental wellbeing in beneficiary regions, based on a competitive mining value chain that supports the EU’s green transition as well strategic autonomy.