On Thursday November 10th, ALDE MEPs Vladko Todorov Panayotov (MRF, Bulgaria) and Theodoros Skylakakis (Democratic Alliance, Greece) will organize a seminar in the European Parliament to evaluate alternative ways to overcome the raw materials scarcity in Europe.

The seminar will analyse the prosecution and penalties for bad mining practices, and will also present the latest best practices in the mining sector. 

The specificity of the ALDE seminar lies in introducing new technologies and modern strategies which take into account the current industrial and environmental challenges. With the participation of high level experts, members of the European Parliament and stakeholders, the seminar will take stock of the diverse viewpoints and will present the current situation of Europe's mining sector. 

Vladko Todorov Panayotov underlined: "Responsible mining is a firm step in moving past the EU's raw material crisis and allows for EU industries to be competitive while developing high environmental and social standards. In this context, it is necessary to look into the EU's untapped mining potential; however this must be done using environmentally sustainable and technologically innovative practices".

Theodoros Skylakakis remarked:  "The exploitation of EU natural resources in a world where these will become ever scarcer, is an important issue which should be addressed on a European, national and local level. Promoting responsible mining is the tool to achieve this local consensus on economic, development, and environmental goals".