Brussels, 13/02/2013 (Agence Europe) - The Commission is proposing definite targets to be achieved by 2020 to reduce Europe's dependency on imported raw materials.
On Tuesday 12 February, the European Commission launched a new initiative in cooperation with member states and other stakeholders (industry, researchers and NGOs) to help make the EU a world leader in raw materials exploration, extraction, processing, recycling and substitution by 2020. The initiative is called the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) and a plan for strategic implementation is due to be approved by the steering group by 17 July.
Raw materials are the lifeblood of EU industry but much of Europe's industry is heavily dependent on international markets to secure the raw materials it requires. To reverse this trend and to reduce cost for raw materials, the European Commission has set up a working group led by Antonio Tajani, responsible for Industry and Entrepreneurship, Maire Geoghegan Quinn, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, and Janez Potocnik, European Commissioner for the Environment. This group will address the weaknesses, bottlenecks and obstacles in the European research and innovation system that prevent or slow down good ideas being developed and brought to market. The partnership's key target is to improve the EU's supply conditions and access alternative resources. The EIP will also seeks to place Europe at the forefront in mitigating the negative environmental impact of extracting raw materials. The scope of the Partnership covers non-energy, non-agricultural raw materials, metals and minerals, and other industrial raw materials, such as natural rubber, paper and wood.
Some of the Commission's flagship objectives leading up to 2020 include up to ten innovative pilot initiatives for exploration, mining, processing, collecting and recycling and substitutes for at least 3 applications of critical raw materials. It is also developing a regulatory framework for primary raw materials; a Network of Research, Education and Training Centres on sustainable raw materials management; a raw materials knowledge base with raw materials flows and trends, using standardised instruments for the survey of resources/reserves and an industrially relevant raw materials map covering primary and secondary raw materials. Enhanced efficiency in material use and in waste prevention, re-use and recycling and a pro-active international cooperation strategy at bilateral and multilateral levels, with the other OECD countries is also advocated. (EH/transl.fl)