The Andalusian capital became a meeting point this week for leading European mining regions, international experts and institutional representatives in strategic raw materials, in an event organised within the framework of the INTERREG EUROPE EMRIE project.

The meeting was jointly organised by the Iberian Sustainable Mining Cluster (ISMC) and the Regional Government of Andalusia, aiming to strengthen cooperation between European mining territories and advance the development of innovation ecosystems linked to critical raw materials.

Over two days, institutional representatives, international organisations, universities and European projects discussed the role that mining regions must play in Europe’s evolving geopolitical and industrial landscape, particularly in ensuring a sustainable and resilient supply of strategic raw materials for the energy transition and the continent’s reindustrialisation.

Andalusia leading European cooperation among mining regions

The meeting was particularly significant as Andalusia assumed the leadership of the S3P Mining Industry platform on 1 January 2026, a smart specialisation initiative promoted by the European Commission that connects mining regions across Europe to develop industrial value chains linked to raw materials.

The General Assembly of the S3P platform, held on 10 March, brought together representatives from more than fifteen mining regions across nine European countries, including delegations from Central Ostrobothnia, Kainuu and Lapland.

The session was opened by Jesús Portillo, Director General for Mining of the Regional Government of Andalusia, and included contributions from Wolfgang Münch, Senior Expert at DG REGIO of the European Commission, and Marc Pattinson, Coordinator of Thematic Partnerships within the Smart Specialisation Community of Practice (S3).

Innovation and strategic raw materials at the centre of the European debate

The second day of the event featured the international public conference “Fostering the European Mining Regions Innovation Ecosystem”, organised by the Iberian Sustainable Mining Cluster within the Interreg Europe EMRIE programme.

The institutional opening session included contributions from:

• Jesús Portillo, Director General for Mining of the Regional Government of Andalusia

• Patricia Núñez, Institutional Coordinator at ISMC

• Manuel Júlio Mateus, Technical Coordinator at CCDR Alentejo I.P., lead partner of the EMRIE project

During the conference, several key instruments shaping the future of the European mining sector were discussed.

Anna Armengol, Economic Advisor at the European Commission Representation in Spain, analysed the impact of the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) and the ResourceEU initiative in the development of regional ecosystems for critical raw materials.

Meanwhile, Paul Bonnetblanc, Policy Officer at the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission, presented the progress of the so-called “Seville Process” and the Mining BREF, the technical framework that will define the best environmental practices for mining activities in Europe.

International cooperation and a global perspective on mining regions

The debate also incorporated an international perspective with the participation of Andrés Sanabria, Coordinator of the OECD Mining Regions and Cities Initiative, who analysed the role of mining regions in the global energy transition. The next meeting of the initiative will take place in October 2025 in Antofagasta, Chile.

Within the framework of strengthening relations between Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean, Luisa Rivas, Senior Executive at the Technical and Sectoral Analysis Directorate of the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF), highlighted the institution’s role in supporting sustainable mining as a driver of reindustrialisation in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The conference concluded with an interactive session dedicated to ISMC’s European alliances in innovation projects across the sustainable mining value chain.

The session featured contributions from:

• Juha Kaija, Senior Expert at the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK), representative of theUNDERCOVER Project

• Jari Joutsenvaara, University of Oulu and member of the advisory team of the DEXPLORE project

• Christina Stefani, ICCS representative in the OPTIMINER project

• Juan Isidro Díaz, ECOCastulum representative in the NEO-CYCLE project

The session was moderated by Laura Quijano, Technical Coordinator of the PERMANET project at ISMC.

A roadmap to strengthen cooperation among European mining regions

Alongside the public conference, partners of the EMRIE project held an internal working meeting where they advanced the implementation of a roadmap aimed at strengthening cooperation between European mining regions.

The objective of this roadmap is to identify shared value chains among mining regions and develop innovative actions together with the mining industry.

The meeting also included a technical visit to the Cobre Las Cruces mining operation, organised by the Directorate General for Mining of the Regional Government of Andalusia. During the visit, public authorities and academic representatives had the opportunity to interact with the team responsible for developing one of the most advanced technological mining projects in Europe.

Mining regions and innovation for Europe’s strategic autonomy

Through these events, the Regional Government of Andalusia and the Iberian Sustainable Mining Cluster reaffirmed their commitment to developing innovation ecosystems in mining regions and to strengthening the strategic role of raw materials in the energy transition, industrial competitiveness and Europe’s strategic autonomy.

Cooperation between regions, the promotion of innovation and the development of sustainable value chains are emerging as essential elements to secure the future of critical raw materials in Europe.

In the media:

• 📰 ElConstitucional.es – Juanma Moreno impulsa una cumbre de regiones mineras de Europa para fomentar la innovación y la autonomía estratégica de materias primas.
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