How to increase future mineral supply from EU sources

Europe’s insufficient mineral production and increasing industrial demands are reflected in high dependency on imported raw materials. Although exploration and exploitation of Europe’s mineral raw materials are essential activities, the land available for extraction is constantly diminishing. To improve the sustained mineral supply from European deposits, access to mineral deposits needs to be ensured and they need to be protected from potential sterilisation. Mineral deposits need to be properly evaluated, taking into account the geological setting and the viability of exploitation in accordance with other land-user and environmental requirements. Their incorporation into spatial plans will be of key importance. In the near future, each Member State needs to identify and protect the access to its selected significant mineral deposits within its national legislation framework. This paper presents a list of mineral deposits in Slovenia that should be protected and discusses criteria for their selection