Enhancing Regional Mining Ecosystems in the European Union: Securing the Green Transition and Supply of Mineral Raw Materials

Regional and local ecosystems play a central role in securing a reliable mineral supply for the European Union (EU), which is a priority for supporting its competitiveness agenda and achieving its climate objectives. With critical minerals and mining expertise concentrated in specific European regions, place-based policies can enable the subnational conditions to advance sustainable and resilient mining value chains. This report, funded by the European Union’s Technical Support Instrument, provides analysis and recommendations at the national, regional and local level in ten EU regions. These aim to strengthen self sufficiency in critical raw materials for the EU, while mitigating environmental impacts and improving well being standards. Located in Finland, Greece, Portugal, Spain and Sweden, these regions are relevant due to their geological potential, presence of research institutions, circular economy initiatives and governance models on mining. This report, along with individual regional profiles, provides guidance for policy makers and companies to strengthen mining regional ecosystems across five pillars: regional policy frameworks; mining governance, with a focus on permitting and social acceptance; regional labour markets; innovation and circularity; and infrastructure.