Urso, 'Rules for reopening mines by year's end'

(ANSA) - ROME, JUL 13 - The legislative framework for reopening mines containing strategic raw materials will be in place by the end of 2023, Business and Made in Italy Minister Adolfo Urso said on Thursday. "I think that by the end of the year the full picture (on the extraction and processing of critical raw materials in Europe, ed.) will be clear: European regulations, Italian regulations and the potential of our territory. At that point, companies will be able to present their projects," said Urso on the sidelines of the presentation of a new think tank on European issues at LUISS university in Rome.
    Italy has 16 of the 34 raw materials indicated by the European Union (EU) as being critical but they are to be found in mines that have been closed for decades, explained the minister.
    "The European Union has defined 34 critical raw materials, 16 of which are also considered strategic for their relevance in the ecological and digital transition," said Urso.
    They are "destined for (use in) aerospace and defence, the production of electric batteries and solar panels, but (are) also important (in order to close) the gap between global supply and expected demand," he continued.
    Italy, said the minister, "possesses 16 of these 34 indicated critical raw materials", but these "are found in mines that were closed 30 years ago".
    "It is necessary to invest and reactivate this potential by reopening the mines," he added. (ANSA).