Unlocking EU mineral exploration is crucial for Europe’s future

Unlocking investment in Europe’s mining sector to liberalise mineral exploration was the main theme of Raw Materials Week 2025, held on November 17-21 November, in Brussels, with the participation of Greece represented by the Hellenic Survey of Geological and Mineral Exploration (EGME).

“Unlocking EU Mineral Exploration” is crucial for Europe’s future. It is about removing barriers and promoting investment, innovative technologies for sustainable exploration, public-private partnership as the European Union needs to secure access to critical raw materials essential for its economic activity, green and digital transitions.

The participants highlighted Europe’s inability to exploit its mineral resources, focused on the problems of financing mining activity (research and development of new deposits), but also on the importance of demand management as a strategic factor for reducing dependence on primary mining and proposed solutions for bridging civil society with the metal production industry.

According to Dr. Peter Tom Jones, Director of the KU Leuven Institute for Sustainable Metals and Minerals and creator of the award-winning documentary “Europe’s Lithium Paradox” presented at Raw Materials Week 2025, Europe is caught in a “minerals cold war” between the US and China, while remaining a bystander due to its lack of its own mines and refineries. Although Europe has significant lithium reserves, essential for the energy transition and battery production, it has not developed active mines. The documentary presented pioneering facilities such as Umicore’s battery recycling and Metso’s lithium refining, showing that the technology is there — but the political will and social consensus are lacking.

However, without a significant increase in funding, Europe will not be able to fully exploit the potential of its Mineral Resources. There is also a need for much greater investment in making geoscience data and knowledge available to the public. According to the European Investment Bank and Aurum Exploration, Europe needs to increase investment in public geoscience by tenfold if it wants to substantially advance research and secure the long-term supply of mineral raw materials.