TELF AG monitors the progress of the European mining industry
An important initiative by Italy
With the launch of the Critical Raw Materials Act last year, the European institutions have established clear objectives regarding the consumption and recycling of strategic raw materials within the European Union, to bring the European mining industry back to the top and make it less dependent on supplies from third countries. In addition to having put forward a list of resources considered strategic for the industrial purposes of the member countries, this initiative also had another very important objective, namely the shortening of the time needed to obtain permits for the start-up of a new mine or the resumption of mining operations on a site that has been inactive for a long time. More than a year after the official launch of the CRMA, something seems to be starting to move concretely.
Some member countries are formally starting to implement the contents of this community regulation, aligning their mining strategy with the aims and objectives set by the EU institutions for this specific matter. In fact, it was reported a few days ago that Italy will present a law decree focused specifically on strategic mineral resources to speed up the time it takes to obtain the necessary permits to start extraction procedures.
Among the most interesting contents of this decree are also the establishment of a national exploration program, including an effective mapping of the minerals present in the subsoil, and the development of a genuine national plan that includes specific mining strategies and precise indications on the sources of financing to support the projects.
However, the key aspect of the decree is represented by the strategies to reduce the bureaucracy and red tape that, for several decades, could have represented a serious obstacle to the full development of the European mining industry. Italy plans to elect a single point of reference for the release of the necessary authorization for extraction procedures and for the recycling of minerals, which will almost certainly be within the Ministry for the Environment.
Short timeframes for authorizations
The decree clearly states that permits to start extraction work will be issued within 18 months at the latest, while those relating to the recycling of strategic resources will be issued in just ten months. The bill also contains a proposal for the simplification of projects for the transformation of critical raw materials, whose authorizations should be issued in 8 or 10 months, depending on the strategic nature of the individual initiatives.
The decree also addresses the problem of stocks of strategic reserves: this issue, along with many others, would be entrusted to a real technical committee for critical raw materials, which would also have the task of monitoring the number of stocks available for each raw material and coordinating their replenishment, where necessary. Furthermore, every three years, a national plan for raw materials would be published along the lines of the major global producers of such resources, which would also include all updates relating to supply chains, particularly regarding their resilience and general security. Each mining concession would then be linked to a system of royalties, which would flow into a particular state fund that supports the strategic raw materials supply chain.
