ISMC Consolidates Its Position as a Key Player in Strategic Minerals in Europe

The Iberian Sustainable Mining Cluster (ISMC) has been featured in the Spanish financial newspaper El Economista, which recently published an in-depth interview with our Director General, Santiago Cuesta López, analysing the strategic role of sustainable mining within Europe’s evolving industrial landscape.

As the European Union accelerates efforts to secure the supply of critical and strategic raw materials, ISMC is positioning itself as a leading platform for innovation, investment and regional development centred on responsible and competitive mining.

Sustainable Mining as a Pillar of European Industrial Sovereignty

The green and digital transitions, alongside Europe’s reindustrialisation strategy, depend on a stable and secure supply of strategic minerals. In this context, sustainable mining goes far beyond responsible extraction. It becomes:

• A driver of regional development

• A platform for industrial innovation

• A cornerstone of European strategic autonomy

• A source of skilled employment

As Santiago Cuesta López states in the interview:

“Sustainable mining is much more than responsible extraction; it is a lever for territorial development and a backbone of European industrial sovereignty.”

Since its creation in 2018, ISMC has evolved from a regional initiative into a national and European reference cluster, bringing together nearly one hundred members and mobilising around €100 million in investments linked to industrial innovation, digitalisation and sustainability projects.

Building Industrial Ecosystems for Critical Raw Materials

One of ISMC’s defining strengths lies in its ability to connect mining companies, supply chain industries, technology centres, universities and public authorities within specialised industrial ecosystems focused on critical raw materials.

This collaborative model enables the sector to:

• Overcome traditional fragmentation

• Accelerate technology transfer

• Attract industrial investment

• Generate long-term economic impact in mining regions

ISMC’s strategy is particularly aligned with high-growth industrial sectors such as clean technologies, energy storage, electric mobility and defence, all of which depend heavily on secure supplies of strategic minerals.

The Critical Raw Materials Act: A Historic Opportunity for Spain and Portugal

The adoption of the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) marks a turning point for Europe’s raw materials sector. The regulation sets clear targets for 2030:

• At least 10% of critical raw materials extracted within the EU

• 40% processed within the EU

• 25% sourced from recycling

This regulatory framework creates a strategic opportunity for Spain and Portugal, particularly for regions with strong geological and industrial potential such as Castilla y León, Extremadura and Galicia.

To date, ISMC has participated in more than 30 European projects, mobilising over €30 million and acting as an interface between the European Commission, mining regions and the industrial fabric.

A European Meta-Hub for Rare Earths and Permanent Magnets

Among the cluster’s most ambitious initiatives is the development of a European meta-hub for rare earth elements and permanent magnets, materials that are essential for electric vehicles, renewable energy systems and defence technologies.

The project seeks to integrate:

• Responsible extraction

• Clean industrial processing

• Advanced recycling

By fostering full value chains from mine to recycling, ISMC contributes to reducing Europe’s external dependencies and strengthening its technological autonomy.

ISMC and the New European Industrial Geography

The Iberian Sustainable Mining Cluster demonstrates that mining can and must be integrated into advanced value chains that generate innovation, skilled employment and territorial cohesion.

In the context of Europe’s green and digital transition, sustainable mining is emerging as a strategic asset for competitiveness, reindustrialisation and long-term economic growth.

Read the full interview published in El Economista here.