Discussion themes

• Post-Covid19 regional economic cooperation strategies and priorities.
• Current and future role of Western Balkans countries in developing a sustainable supply of critical raw materials to Europe and globally.
• Large-scale infrastructure projects to support green economic development.
• Energy mix and cross-border cooperation towards a low carbon economy.
• Investment, trade, and technological opportunities in exploration, development, and processing of primary raw materials.
• A social contract for mining. Lessons learned and moving forward.

In 2020 Europe represented just 5% of global mining and is the only region in the World with a declining mining industry. Europe’s ambitious electrification and decarbonisation plans will likely fail unless Europe’s mineral-rich countries start investing in mining and processing critical raw materials (CRMs). Expansion of domestic mining, processing, and refining capacities in Europe is critical for reducing imports and geopolitical dependencies. Political leadership, guidance, political support as well as public communication strategies for developing CRM mining projects across Europe, including in Western Balkans, will become ever more important in the forthcoming years.

Discussion themes 

• The EU’s “Open Strategic Autonomy” plan
• Prospects for integrating the Western Balkans into EU CRM supply chains
• Global market analysis and outlook for critical raw materials
• Impact of EU climate and energy policy on CRM demand and output
• Responsible sourcing of critical metals in Europe
• What is the future of battery metals demand and production in Europe?
• The EV Revolution: impacts on critical raw material supply chains
• Prospects for CRM production in the Western Balkans and wider Europe
• New “greener” solutions for recovery of critical and precious elements
• Mining for the EU’s Green Future – challenges ahead

The Initiative for coal regions transition in the Western Balkans was launched in December 2020 to help the countries to move away from coal toward a carbon-neutral economy. Current surging prices, low inventories, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have sent energy prices soaring and prompted many countries to scramble to secure supplies and turn to coal and nuclear energy. Currently, the Western Balkans countries are rowing back on commitments to phase out the production of lignite coal – the most polluting fossil fuel. North Macedonia, once a frontrunner in attracting renewable energy investors, is planning to open two new coal mines to supply power stations. Kosovo with the world’s fifth-largest deposits of lignite is increasing exports to Germany and other European states. Serbia is also increasing coal production due to insufficient rain for hydroelectric plants and plans to import 500 tonnes of coal per day from Montenegro. Bosnia and Herzegovina, the only Balkan country that exports electricity, says it will delay plans to shut down coal-fired power plants due to high energy prices. Meanwhile, for the first time ever, wind and solar account for more than 10 percent of the world’s electricity supplies. Given the need to cut out ties with coal, oil and gas generally – and Russia’s pipelines specifically – there has been a flurry of announcements supporting the urgency of increasing renewable energy as a proportion of Europe’s energy mix. Iceland and Norway are the front runners in Europe’s transition to renewable energy. Albania and Latvia are next on the list, with 42 percent of their total energy mix coming from a combination of hydro (strongest in Albania), biofuels, and waste (a sizeable 37 percent in Latvia), wind, solar and other sources.

Discussion themes 

• Outlook on EU and Western Balkan Energy Transition towards a Low Carbon Economy
• What is the future of the European Green Deal and what is the new European Energy Union?
• EU Policy Priorities for the Coal Regions in Transition.
• How EU’s ESG and taxonomy rules impact coal-generated energy?
• Energy mix in the Western Balkans and what prospects for the energy transition away from coal?
• What financial and technical assistance is offered to energy transition projects?
• Cases of energy transition of coal mines to PV power plants and storage systems.
• Advanced Coal mine reclamation.

One of Europe’s challenges is to secure a sustainable supply of raw materials from European sources. Without undertaking its own exploration, the EU will have no new mining projects. This, in turn, means no refineries and, without refining capacity, the EU will continue to be in great part dependent on foreign supplies of high-quality materials. Only 9% of the EU’s overall raw material demand can be supplied by the EU-27 itself. Meanwhile, much of the European continent remains under-explored in terms of greenfield geological resources, and the most comprehensive exploration campaigns, especially in the Balkans and Eastern Europe, dating back to the mid-fifties. Huge reserves remain to be found onshore as well as offshore. In addition to greenfield deposits, Europe has a millennial legacy of sites impacted by mining and industrial activities.

Discussion themes 

• Overview of critical raw materials exploration and production in the Western Balkans
• How competitive are greenfield and brownfield exploration in the Western Balkans?
• What can the Western Balkans offer investors?
• Where will growth come from to support exploration in the coming decade?
• What bottlenecks are holding back greenfield and brownfield development?
• Are the local Governments changing strategies to encourage the inward investment in the development and the exploitation of PRMs in the region?
• Opportunities for exploration, mining, processing, and recovery of PRM in the region.
• Opportunities for landfill mining and reclamation in Western Balkans.