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(2004/C 84 E/0583)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3363/03

by Samuli Pohjamo (ELDR) to the Commission

(14 November 2003)

Subject:   Socio-economic impact of extractive industry in northern Europe

The mineral resources of the Baltic (Fennoscandian) Shield region are among the richest in the world. Many lucrative orebodies have been found there, containing, among other things, platinum, native gold, diamonds, and the like, and high-quality building stones as well as industrial minerals. As the area has still not been fully explored, there may be more orebodies to be found and profits to be had.

Given that it is the world's largest consumer of minerals, Europe would gain by exploiting the region's mineral deposits. At present, 75 % of the minerals used in Europe are imported from other parts of the world.

Fennoscandian orebodies lie mainly in sparsely populated areas, where the employment situation is unremittingly poor. One medium-sized gold mine, for example, could provide direct employment for between 100 and 150 people. Expanding extractive industry would also bring substantial benefits for the supply of services and the local economy.

The Union should take account of the opportunities offered by the Fennoscandian mineral deposits when it draws up regulations and legislation. It is important that the new directive on mining waste should not make it difficult to open new mines. The concept of waste should be so defined that harmless by-products of mining operations are not, as such, encompassed within the definition. Fennoscandian extractive industry has always observed stringent environmental guidelines, and the technology that it uses is highly advanced. Consequently, neither the mines existing in the region nor any future mines constitute a threat to the environment.

It is vital for the future of primary production that the Commission draw up a special action programme for extractive industry so as to allow not only for environment-related requirements, but also for the sustainable economic use of natural resources and the possible regional impact. What is the Commission doing to achieve those ends? Is it willing to pursue a specific action programme for extractive industry?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(16 December 2003)

The Commission is actively working to ensure that the Union's extractive industries operate within the framework of sustainable development. This means achieving an appropriate balance between enhancing the social and economic importance of the industry and protecting the environment. The Raw Materials Supply Group, chaired by Directorate General (DG) Enterprise, provides a forum for dialogue between Member States, Candidate Countries, the extractive industries and other stakeholders, to identify the key issues affecting the competitiveness of the industry and to agree on actions to take this forward. The Communication on ‘Promoting sustainable development in the EU non-energy extractive industry’ (1) made a first step to develop this dialogue, and has been followed by work to develop sustainable development indicators for the industry. A first report on this work is to be published on the Europa website in 2004.

The proposed Directive on the management of waste from the extractive industries (2) seeks to prevent or reduce environmental pollution and in particular to prevent accidents such as those that occurred recently at Baia Mare (Romania) and Aznalcóllar (Spain), which not only cause significant environmental damage, but also have wide socio-economic effects (including harming the image of the extractive industry as a whole, which could hamper future permitting procedures). The proposal aims at establishing a level-playing field and focuses on those aspects of the management of waste which present the greatest risk to the environment and human health, such as the operation of large tailings ponds and spoil heaps containing hazardous wastes or dangerous substances. The proposal provides a more limited set of requirements for less hazardous waste, which are proportionate to the level of risk they present. The proposal is now before the Parliament and the Council for decision.

While there are no plans for a special action programme for the extractive industry, the Commission will continue to cooperate with the industry on issues related to its competitiveness, within the framework of sustainable development. Furthermore, the Union's Northern Dimension initiative already addresses the special regional development challenges facing northern Europe, and provides a common framework for the promotion of policy dialogue and concrete co-operation. The Second Northern Dimension Action Plan (2004-2006) specifically recognises that the region is rich in natural resources and that these resources are crucial to the economic development of local communities.

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(1)  COM(2000) 265 final.

(2)  COM(2003) 319 final.

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