Palladium, tantalum, silicon: manufacturers extract these resources to build cars, solar panels and computers. But, like the 24 other raw materials considered as critical by the European Commission, most of the supply comes from China. To ensure its mineral sovereignty, Brussels identifies the most promising mining deposits in Europe. France, Spain and the United Kingdom are potential producers of tungsten, which is very appreciated by the aeronautic industry. As for Romania and Sweden, they could supply the market with rare earths, a subgroup of 17 elements with adjoining properties. Various European geological bodies (BRGM in France, BGS in England, BGR in Germany, SGU in Sweden…) share several mineralogical databases. Yet, reviving the European mining sector cannot be done without the support of the local population. This is why Brussels is developing ‘responsible’ mining programmes (REMIND, SUSMINE…) on one hand to limit the ecological impact of mining, and on the other hand to support projects aimed at improving social acceptance of mines (such as MIREU).

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