Sustainable production and consumption of mineral resources-introduction

The European mining industry has a long tradition providing many regions with growth and employment. However, now in the European Union, consumption of many minerals and especially metals considerably exceeds the EU mining industry's internal supply capability. In the last years, it was pointed out in many EU documents that securing reliable and undistorted access to raw materials is becoming an increasingly important factor in the EU's competitiveness and hence crucial to the success of the Lisbon Partnership for growth and jobs. Therefore, the European mining industry is faced with a major challenge which is creating appropriate ecological, economic and social conditions, referring to the idea of "growth through opportunity". In the paper, challenges connected with sustainable production and consumption of mineral resources in the EU has been presented.