PRESS RELEASE Mining on Top: Africa – London Summit 24th-26th June 2015, Park Plaza Riverbank Hotel, London, UK   Mr Verbruggen, President of EuroGeoSurveys (The Geological Surveys of Europe) and Director of the Geological Survey of Ireland, has been invited to be part of the high level panel of speakers in the Africa London Summit ‘Mining on Top’. The conference will be focused on creating a connection between nations, investors and industry leaders to drive economic and social development in Africa through mining. In this framework the key words will be: the importance to invest in infrastructure, the regeneration of Ebola-affected areas, and the political certainty. To face these important topics one of the essential steps is to identify the key market drivers and to understand the future outlook for Africa’s commodities. It is commonly acknowledged that African minerals resources are severely under-exploited, especially because still unexplored or classified, and in this regard Mr Verbruggen will focus on a specific EuroGeoSurveys project, based on the AU–EU geoscientific collaboration, ‘PanAfGeo’. Minerals exploration and mapping is one of the main tasks of Geological Surveys. As Mr Verbruggen will explain during his speech, such information has a huge value, but is extremely difficult to produce as well as the collection, harmonization and sharing of geological map data on the African continent. Mapping geology is not easy. It requires skilled individuals and technical tools that several Geological Surveys in Africa are not able to afford. It is then evident that one of the primary actions to boost development in Africa is to increase the capacities and competence of its geological administrations. The strategy proposed by PanAfGeo focuses on establishing long-term strategic cooperation in the areas of: governance of natural resources, sustainable exploitation of non-energy mineral resources, prevention and mitigation of natural...

Prospecting critical raw materials from wastes First Urban Mine Knowledge Data Platform providing access to data on mineral resources from extraction to end of life products with the ability to reference all spatial and non-spatial data   The ProSUM project, funded by the European Union (€3.051m) and the Swiss Government (€0.63m), will deliver the First Urban Mine Knowledge Data Platform, a centralised database of all available data and information on arisings, stocks, flows and treatment of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), end-of-life vehicles (ELVs), batteries and mining wastes. The availability of primary and secondary raw materials data, easily accessible in one platform, will provide the foundation for improving Europe’s position on raw material supply, with the ability to accommodate more wastes and resources in future. ProSUM will provide data for improving the management of these wastes and enhancing the resource efficiency of collection, treatment and recycling. Every year in Europe, around 9 million tonnes of WEEE and 7-8M tonnes and ELVs are generated, and over 1 million tonnes batteries are sold. These products are a rich source of secondary critical raw materials (CRMs) in the urban mine. For example, 99% of world Gallium consumption is in integrated circuits and optoelctronic devices, 74% of Indium in flat panel displays and 27% of cobalt in rechargeable batteries. Previous and active mining deposits also contain untapped reserves of CRMs. Until now, the data on CRMs has been produced by a variety of institutions including government agencies, universities, NGOs and industry and lies scattered in different databases, formats and reports which is difficult to compare or aggregate. ProSUM, Latin for ‘I am useful’, and standing for Prospecting Secondary raw materials in the Urban mine and Mining waste, will create an Information Network that allows partners in the...

PRESS RELEASE The new era of minerals development in Africa To develop business opportunities in Africa while involving the local populations in the process Brussels, 9 February 2015 It is commonly acknowledged that African minerals resources are severely under-exploited, especially because still unexplored or classified. On the 8th and 9th February 2015 in Cape Town, South Africa, at the EuroGeoSurveys (EGS) and the Organisation of African Geological Surveys (OAGS) Workshop, the roadmap will be shared of PanAfGeo, an ambitious Project aiming at increasing knowledge and skills in African Geological Surveys. Improving the capacities of geological administrations and filling the gap in the collection, harmonization and sharing of geological map data on the African continent are the pillars to ensure business opportunities in Africa. These capacities become essential especially for mining exploration activities. The preliminary phase of PanAfGeo was the feasibility study “Geoscientific Knowledge and Skills in African Geological Surveys” carried out jointly by EGS-OAGS Members and key stakeholders such as EC, AUC, UNESCO, UNECA/AMDC, UNDP, World Bank, etc. PanAfGeo covers the entirety of the African continent and it develops a capacity building scheme, through the creation of a decentralized specialization school for African professionals. Trainings and adequate infrastructures will empower OAGS as coordination body ensuring that the know-how is transferred and shared among African Surveys. The geological cooperation is considered one of the most important and urgent needs to exploit minerals resources potential in Africa and its sustainable development. Commenting, Mr.Koen Verbruggen, EuroGeoSurveys President and Director of the Geological Survey of Ireland said “The launch of PanAfGeo initiative in Mining INDABA 2015 provides an opportunity to publicise and promote this important programme which will develop African geological datasets and knowledge. The local Geological Surveys play a strategic role in the economic growth and poverty...

Minerals4EU Project Scientific Staff interviewed by EuroGeoSurveys at the M4EU progress meeting in Dublin in October 2014. David Ovadia, Project Exploitation Manager Nikolaos Arvanitidis talks about is role as Scientific Officer of the Minerals4eu project, how Minerals4EU will able to provide tools and expertise to mineral resources development in Europe, who will mainly benefits from the project and what will be the expected effects of the project for European...

EuroGeoSurveys at the European Innovation Partnership on Raw Materials Annual Conference   Innovation is the key word to ensure the future supply of raw materials. This is the message launched by Mr. Calleja Crespo, Director General of DG Grow, during the EIP on Raw materials Annual Conference that took place on the 13th and 14th of January 2015. After the first successful call for Raw Materials where 80 commitments have been accepted with the participation of 800 partners all around EU, now it is time to put in action the commitments and make them effective. Exploiting this Conference to exchange knowledge, to present project ideas, and to reinforce networking is the second message that Mr Crespo conveyed to the audience. In fact he encouraged participants to see the two-day event as an opportunity for finding partners in order to write a successful proposal. To support all these actions, a vibrating posters session and a Brokerage Event were organized, in which participants had the opportunity to interact and cooperate. In this framework the Geological Surveys play an important role in the EIP on RM implementation, as Mr. Verbruggen, President of EuroGeoSurveys, highlighted during his keynote speech in the High Level Panel. The EGS Members are indeed involved in up to 29 of the 80 commitments. Projects such as Promine, which produces the main mineral deposits map of Europe, or EURARE, showing the Greenland mining potential and setting the basis for the development of a European Rare Earth Element (REE) industry, demonstrate the contribution that the Geological Surveys can give to the EIP on RM, helping Europe to become independent from the countries that today export mineral resources. The support to the EIP on RM and to the Knowledge Innovation Community (KIC), has been presented by EGS during the poster...