Raw materials policy support actions

Projects should include a work-package to cluster with other projects financed under this topic and – if possible – with other relevant projects in the field funded by Horizon 2020, in support of the EIP on Raw Materials.

Proposals shall address only one of the following issues:

a) Expert network on Critical Raw Materials (2016): The proposed action should develop primarily an EU expert network or structure of networks covering all CRMs and where possible, include the stakeholders covering as much of the value chains as possible. [[The latest public EU list of Critical Raw Materials, expected to be updated in 2016/2017 (otherwise the list of 2014 is applicable (COM(2014) 297)).]] In case the new list will not be available at the deadline of the call, proposals should demonstrate the flexibility of incorporating new CRMs in the scope of the project. Proposals should build on the experience and knowledge gained from similar initiatives such as the ERECON [[http://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/raw-materials/specific-interest/erecon/index_en.htm]] a network on Rare Earth Elements, and CRM_InnoNet.

In order to support decision making of the producers and users of raw materials and the policy makers the projects should cover all the following points:

map, comprehensively assess and quantify estimated amounts of existing primary and secondary sources of and alternatives to the different CRMs;
estimate the expected EU demand of various CRMs in the future and identify major trends;
provide policy and technology recommendations for actions improving the production of the various primary and secondary CRMs and actions for their potential substitution, in order to secure their supply and decrease the relative dependence upon their imports;
provide a plan for transparent consultation with relevant external stakeholders and effective communication of the findings to the professional and general public across the EU;
In the case of secondary CRMs, the mapping information on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and waste batteries and other relevant end-of-life products within the EU is crucial, as well as the need to contribute to the further development of European standards for the treatment of WEEE in order to optimise the recovery of CRMs, identifying the most relevant WEEE categories and additional standardisation needs for the further development of CENELEC standards under the European Commission Mandate M/518 EN.

The Commission considers that for this sub-topic, proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of up to EUR 3 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. Up to one action for this topic part shall be funded.

b) Good practice in waste collection systems (2017): Proposals should cover all the following points:

map and assess existing waste collection systems in a representative set of EU Member States for a wide range of waste streams, including packaging and paper waste, and end-of-life products (e.g. electrical and electronic equipment, batteries, transport vehicles, tyres, construction products, furniture);
where feasible assess advantages and disadvantages of different approaches – including environmental and socio-economic impacts – with quantified costs and benefits;
identify good practices and key elements for effective and efficient waste collection systems, as well as the barriers for implementation and possible solutions to overcome bottlenecks taking into consideration the adaptability of solutions to different regions of the EU;
validate the identified key elements, good practices, and the measures to overcome obstacles by consulting stakeholders through a participatory approach involving citizens and plan targeted dissemination actions.

The Commission considers that for this sub-topic, proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of up to EUR 1.5 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. Up to one action for this topic part shall be funded.

c) Optimising collection of raw materials data in Member States (2017): Proposals should cover all the following points:

map and analyse the current situation of collection of data and data sources in all Member States;
provide recommendations for improvement of data sets and for EU level harmonization with justified benefits for the EU and the Member States and taking into account the INSPIRE Directive in order to enhance data availability and quality in the Raw Materials Information System (RMIS) [[https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/scientific-tool/raw-materials-information-system]];
demonstrate the applicability of recommendations on a number of improved data sets at Member States level. Improved data sets related to primary mineral raw materials should include for example: data on mineral occurrences and deposits; economic and technical data on mineral exploration and extraction; data on the environmental and social dimensions of extraction and, minerals intelligence data. Data sets related to secondary mineral raw materials should build on raw materials flows at Member state level (Materials Systems Analysis) and be presented in a form of Sankey diagrams. Other data sets on minerals secondary raw materials could also be considered;
involve all mandated key players for primary and secondary mineral raw materials in Member States, including in particular data providers and relevant public authorities and bodies;
ensure access to information on how data and best practices will be shared with the wider EU raw materials community, in particular via the Raw Materials Information System (RMIS).

The Commission considers that for this sub-topic proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of up to EUR 1.5 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. Up to one action for this topic part shall be funded.

d) Linking land use planning policies to national mineral policies (2017): Proposals should cover all the following points:

review and analyse how exploration and extraction of mineral raw materials in Member States are integrated in land use planning and practices at all levels of implementation (national, regional, local) seeking the harmonization and convergence in national approaches towards minerals policies and land-use planning policies and practices;
consider how to best link land-use planning with the concept of safeguarding valuable mineral deposits (such as mineral deposits of public importance) in order to ensure the current and future access to the deposits and to avoid ‘land sterilization’;
take into account the following relevant issues: a) the integration of land use and subsurface planning, b) the assessment of different options for land use where there is no pre-exclusion, c) the INSPIRE Directive, d) information needed in the process, e) e-procedure, f) smart regulation, g) the infrastructure planning and approaches;
involve civil society, practitioners, land-use planners and mining public authorities at local, regional and national levels and should develop a dissemination strategy;
provide recommendations and publish guidance documents to promote a harmonized approach and good practise sharing among Member States in order to ensure a more effective access to raw materials;
build on the report ’Recommendations on the framework conditions for the extraction of non-energy raw materials in the European Union’ (2014) of the Ad-Hoc Working Group on exchange of best practices on mineral policy and legal framework, information framework, land-use planning and permitting;
provide methodologies, information and data that can be included in the EIP Raw Materials Scoreboard and can also contribute to the Raw Materials Information System (RMIS) [[https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/scientific-tool/raw-materials-information-system]].

e) EU network of mining and metallurgy regions (2017): The purpose is to create a sustainable EU network of regions dedicated to mining (including exploration), processing and metallurgy aiming at improving related framework conditions, social aspects and industry competitiveness.

While the issues of recycling, re-use and product life cycles are covered by the topic CIRC-03-2016: 'Smart Specialisation for systemic eco-innovation/circular economy' in the call 'Industry 2020 in the Circular Economy', the focus of this topic is on mining and metallurgy.

Specifically, this network should cover all the following points:

establish coherent co-ordination and support mechanisms among a representative number of EU regions, and identify and engage the other relevant EU regions;
establish the right raw materials framework conditions based on good practices in the addressed regions, including administration, land use planning, investment conditions, training and attracting skilled workforce;
define Social Licence to Operate (SLO)[['Social Licence to Operate' (SLO) - the level of acceptance or approval by local communities and stakeholders of mining companies and their operations, also known as public acceptance and trust.]] guidelines and develop a toolbox improving communication and transparency during the permitting and licensing procedures and in the production cycle (from exploration, mine operation to rehabilitation and residues and tailings management) by mobilising all the concerned EU's stakeholders (relevant authorities municipalities, mining and other relevant companies, civil society organisations and local communities) which can be affected by a mining project;
explore and promote in and across the regions potential synergies between raw materials, value chains, market and societal players in order to create new business opportunities and economic growth;
plan and establish operational synergies between R&I investments (public and private) and the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) to strengthen competitiveness of the industry, through different improved R&I infrastructure and capacity, and to foster market uptake and replication of innovative solutions in the relevant fields;
perform communication activities across the EU to present, challenge and validate the outputs of the project;
involve relevant competent authorities, private sector, research and academic organisations, civil society and experts in relevant social sciences and humanities. Participation of regional authorities from all the regions addressed in the proposal is compulsory;
identify synergies and collaborate closely with the relevant established or new initiatives at the EU and national levels, such as EIP on Raw materials and KIC on Raw materials[[http://eit.europa.eu/eit-community/eit-raw-materials]] and link to circular economy and resource efficiency policies;
use a multidisciplinary approach, involving in particular social sciences and humanities, in order to better understand the different aspects of Social Licence to Operate (SLO) in mining in a given cultural context. Proposals should also benchmark the EU SLO guidelines and initiatives with those developed internationally (Canada, Australia, USA, etc.);
provide methodologies, information and data that can be included in the EIP on Raw Materials Scoreboard and can also contribute to the Raw Materials Information System (RMIS)[[https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/scientific-tool/raw-materials-information-system]] with special regard to the regional dimension.

f) EU network of regions on sustainable wood mobilisation (wood supply) (2017): The objective is to create a European network of regions for improved and sustainable supply of primary wood raw material that will contribute to improved industrial competitiveness and rural development, whilst preserving EU forest ecosystems and forests' capacity to deliver all their economic, social and ecological functions, and ensuring consistency with relevant EU policy goals (e.g. EU Bioeconomy Strategy, 7^th Environmental Action Programme, EU Biodiversity Strategy, EU Forest Strategy, EU Nature legislation; EU climate policy). The network’s activities shall cover all the following points:

establish coherent co-ordination and support mechanisms among a geographically and socio-economically representative number of regions, and identify and engage other relevant EU regions;
plan and establish operational synergies between R&I investments (public and private) and the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF), notably European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), to facilitate uptake and replication of innovative solutions;
identify, exchange and widely disseminate good practices (replicable between the regions) in the area of sustainable wood mobilisation with an aim to establish the right framework conditions. This should build on the European Commission/Forest Europe/UNECE/FAO ‘Good practice guidance on sustainable mobilisation of wood in Europe’ and relevant projects (such as SIMWOOD), and contribute to the strategic orientations of the EU Forest Strategy[[COM(2013)659 of 20.09.2013]];
explore and promote potential synergies between materials, value chains, markets and societal players in order to create new business opportunities and economic growth;
identify synergies and collaborate closely with the relevant established or new initiatives at the EU and national levels, such as the EIPs on Raw Materials and for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability.

The areas of focus for the regional network activities should at minimum cover the following aspects of framework conditions: (a) forest ownership and land tenure, sustainable forest management, administration, co-ordination and planning, including silvicultural measures; (b) infrastructure and logistics; (c) organisation and transparency of the markets; (d) financing sourcing, legal and fiscal measures; and (e) education, training and skills.

Participation of competent regional authorities relevant to sustainable wood mobilisation is required, notably in the context of establishing operational synergies in the research and innovation area. Participation of relevant competent authorities and actors for sustainable wood mobilisation, e.g. chambers of agriculture and forestry, forest owners/managers associations, academia, research technology platforms/centres, and EU stakeholder organisations, is encouraged.

The EU is highly dependent on raw materials that are crucial for a strong European industrial base, an essential building block of the EU's growth and competitiveness. In order to secure the sustainable access to primary and secondary raw materials, including metals, industrial minerals, construction raw materials, wood, and particularly Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) for the EU economy, there is a need to tackle a number of specific non-technology challenges at local, regional, national EU and global levels, as well as gaps in the knowledge on raw materials to foster the supply from the EU sources.

While the challenge to secure the raw materials supply is of a global nature, the actions to respond to the challenge are usually implemented at regional and local levels. There is a need to identify and bring together the EU regions with raw materials production capacity and common Smart specialisation objectives to exploit synergies, gain the trust of citizens and jointly improve the framework conditions, availability and performance of the industry, social aspects, stimulate investment and exchange of knowledge, foster innovation and competitiveness of industries in the raw materials value chains etc.

Specifically, the supply of CRMs to EU is at risk as they are often mined as by-products and still have global recycling rates below 1% after decades of use. There is a need for an expert group covering all the CRMs and as much as possible of their value chains, which would be able to comprehensively map CRM sources, provide recommendations for sourcing and better use of CRMs, including improving the European standards for efficient treatment of WEEE and waste batteries and other end-of-life products, while building on the experience and knowledge of existing specific groups, such as ERECON[[http://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/raw-materials/specific-interest/erecon/index_en.htm]] and CRM-Innonet.

One of the major challenges regarding the EU knowledge base on primary and secondary mineral raw materials is the quality, harmonisation of the collected data and information sharing at the different levels within the EU. There is a need to optimise collection of data in Member States in support of the EU Knowledge Base on Raw Materials (EC Raw Materials Information System – RMIS[[https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/scientific-tool/raw-materials-information-system]])..

A specific challenge for the primary raw materials sector is an access to land within the land-use planning in parity with other activities. Most of the EU is densely populated and there are therefore conflicts of land-use caused by the competing interests of different activities and interest with economic requirements such as urbanization, nature conservation, agriculture, infrastructure etc.

For the secondary raw materials sector a proper collection of waste is a pre-condition for optimal recovery of materials from waste, which varies across the EU, Member States and their local governments who apply many different waste collection systems from co-mingled collection systems to separate collection. Decision-makers need more information about the overall performance of different systems, including their economic performance, and a better understanding of the conditions that are necessary for shifting to alternative, better-performing waste collection systems.

The project is expected to contribute to:

achieving the objectives and the implementation of both the Raw Materials Initiative[[http://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/raw-materials/policy-strategy/index_en.htm]] and the EIP on Raw Materials, in particular in terms of the access to critical raw materials (CRMs);
better informed decision making by the EU and Member States policy makers and the producers and users of raw materials regarding the supply of raw materials;
development of European standards for the treatment of WEEE, waste batteries and other relevant end-of-life products that would help towards optimising the recovery of critical raw materials;
increased recovery rates in the EU as regards CRMs from WEEE, waste batteries and other relevant end-of-life products;
in longer term reduced EU dependency on imports of CRMs;
improved awareness of relevant external stakeholders and general public across the EU about importance of the critical raw materials for society, challenges related to their supply and about proposed solutions;

achieving the objectives of the EIP on Raw Materials in terms of waste management framework conditions;
better-informed decision-making at EU, national and local levels with regards to waste management framework conditions;
better performing waste collection systems in EU Member States, including socio-economic and environmental impacts;
in longer term, reduced EU dependency on imports of raw materials;

achieving the objectives of the EIP on Raw Materials, particularly in terms of developing the EU Raw Materials Knowledge Base (Raw Materials Information System RMIS [[https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/scientific-tool/raw-materials-information-system]]);
improving the quality assurance and accessibility of primary and secondary mineral raw materials data in the EU;
adding to transparency of Member state and EU mineral raw materials data and information;
facilitating better informed decision-making for raw materials policy at EU and Member State levels, as well as for facilitating investment decisions by industry;

achieving the objectives of the EIP on Raw Materials, particularly in terms of improving conditions for sustainable access and supply of raw materials in the EU;
more transparent and efficient exploration and mining permitting and licensing processes in the EU;
better land-use planning based on a better knowledge of identified or potential deposits and their potential environmental impacts at EU level;
bringing mineral resources in parity with other natural resources within land use planning whilst implementing the environmental acquis;

achieving the objectives of the EIP on Raw Materials in terms of improving conditions for sustainable access and supply of raw materials in the EU;
creating a longer term sustainable network;
establishing operational synergies between R&I investments and ESIF to improve R&I infrastructure and capacity and to foster market uptake and replication of innovative solutions in the relevant fields;
improved framework conditions at regional level leading to a more transparent and secure environment for investment in new mining and metallurgy projects in the EU and economic growth in the regions;
improving awareness of the importance of raw materials for our society and about new ways of mining taking into account environmental, health and safety considerations;
helping stakeholders to make informed decisions about new mining and metallurgy projects in the EU through engagement of local communities, facilitating social agreements, improving the awareness, gaining citizens' acceptance and trust in a sustainable raw materials production in the EU;
effective implementation and widespread use of the Social Licence to Operate (SLO) guidelines and toolbox in practice;

achieving the objectives on sustainable wood supply of the EIP on Raw Materials, the EIP for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability, the new EU Forest Strategy and the EU Bioeconomy Strategy;
improving knowledge and framework conditions for sustainable wood mobilisation that result in increased supply of primary wood raw materials to the forest-based bioeconomy, whilst preserving EU forest ecosystems and forests' capacity to deliver all its functions;
innovation at regional and local levels leading to increased wood-based industrial competitiveness and rural development;
creation of clusters of regions with common interests on wood mobilisation;
establishing operational synergies between R&I investments and ESIF to improve R&I infrastructure and capacity and to foster market uptake and replication of innovative solutions in the relevant fields for sustainable wood mobilisation.

Raw materials policy support actions

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