Greece’s Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy Nikos Tsafos announced a new regulatory framework that Greece hopes will unlock new activities and investments in the country’s mining industry.
The news comes at a time when Europe’s dependence on third countries for critical raw materials is growing, while production across the bloc is shrinking.
Critics of Greece’s restrictive policies, such as VP of the European Parliament and former Greek Minister Giannis Maniatis say the move is long overdue. He argues that Greece and the EU failed to develop policies that would make the mining sector part of the necessary green and digital transformation of the economy. “Today,” he said, “after years of indecision in both Greece and Europe, the strategic importance of raw materials for economic and social wellbeing has finally been recognized.”
His statement came during an event hosted on Tuesday by the Hellenic Association of Mining Enterprises (SΜΕ), which marked its 100th anniversary, according to reports at AMNA.
“Any activity of the future—whether energy-related or digital—depends in one way or another on critical raw materials,” Tsafos said at the same event, adding that Greece has significant opportunities to leverage its resources not only for economic benefit, but also for strategic reasons.
The Ministry’s Secretary General, Aristotelis Aivaliotis, also added that a drafting of Greece’s new Mining Code has been completed, and that they aim to pass it into law by the summer.
Three of the 47 projects classified as “strategic” by the European Commission in the area of critical raw materials are based in Greece, noted the representatives. These projects are linked to the operations of Aluminium of Greece (covering alumina, bauxite, and gallium) and are expected to ensure full European autonomy in gallium supply.
Regarding licensing procedures, Aivaliotis stated: “The European framework for critical raw materials requires member states to establish a one-stop-shop service capable of completing all licensing procedures within two years. This is a challenge we must successfully meet.” He also mentioned that, due to staffing shortages, the ministry is considering outsourcing inspection duties to external contractors.
In addition, the committee responsible for post-mining land and resource management has concluded its work, announced governmental representatives at the event.
Taking aim at environmental organizations in Greece, Chair of the Hellenic Parliament’s Research & Technology Committee, Stratos Simopoulos, said “What we must do as a state is to push back against professional environmentalists or the ‘Taliban’ of environmentalism, who consistently seek to sabotage major investments,” adding that it is possible to balance the exploitation of mineral resources with environmental protection.
