On 5–8 May 2020, a series of conferences on raw materials was held in Kraków as part of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The events were organised by the European Commission and the Ministry of Climate and Environment (MKiŚ, or Ministerstwo Klimatu i Środowiska in Polish).

One of the accompanying events was the 58th General Assembly of Directors of the EuroGeoSurveys Association (EGS), organised by the Polish Geological Institute – National Research Institute (PGI-NRI). PGI-NRI employees actively participated in all conferences.

On the first day (5 May), a meeting entitled CRM Board sub-group on exploration was held, organised by the European Commission. The first year of the EU Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) was summarised. The event also provided an opportunity to exchange experiences on, among other things, the preparation of national exploration plans (KPP, or Krajowe Plany Poszukiwań in Polish) for strategic raw materials, the functioning of contact points and the implementation of strategic projects in the field of CRM financed by EU funds.

The assumptions of the KPP developed by PGI-NRI in cooperation with the Ministry of Climate and Environment were presented by Prof. Stanisław Mikulski, Deputy Director of PGI-NRI. Ways of collecting data on national programmes for the exploration of critical raw materials and further actions in this area were also discussed. A representative of EuroGeoSurveys presented the organisation's recommendations on national CRM exploration programmes.

Prof. Stanisław Mikulski, Deputy Director of PGI-NRI, gives a presentation entitled National Exploration Programme on CRMs for Poland. Building Ambitious Goals on Strong Foundations

The second day (6 May) was devoted to the EU Raw Materials Policy Conference on EU raw materials policy. Its main objective was to provide an opportunity to exchange views on priorities related to raw materials policy, the implementation of the CRMA, international cooperation in the raw materials industry and strategic projects concerning critical raw materials. In addition, opportunities for supporting investments in these areas to strengthen the sustainable development of EU competitiveness were discussed. The event consisted of six discussion panels.

When opening the conference, Prof. Krzysztof Galos, Chief Geologist of Poland, emphasised the role of the event's host, the AGH University of Science and Technology, in educating future generations of geologists. He reminded the audience that the meeting is taking place one year after the implementation of the Critical Raw Materials Act, which prompted a series of intensive measures by the government administration and geological services.

At the same time, he highlighted two measures which, in his opinion, are extremely important for the new vision of European raw materials policy: selecting strategic projects for the future extraction of critical raw materials and laying the foundations for National Exploration Plans. He invited representatives of government administration, geological services and European Union bodies to discuss the shape of future regulations, problems encountered so far and possible synergies between countries.

Prof. Krzysztof Galos, Chief Geologist of Poland, while opening the EU Raw Materials Policy Conference (Photo: MKiŚ)

Panel III, moderated by Radomir Pachytel (PGI-NRI), was devoted to the role of geological research in improving the European Union's raw material security. The panellists emphasised that geology is the foundation of raw material policy, providing key data and expert knowledge on the availability and potential of mineral resources. The impact of the implementation of the Critical Raw Materials Act on the activities of geological services and the planning of future activities was also presented.

Prof. Stanisław Mikulski presented the Institute's current projects related to the search for critical raw materials, including graphite, rare earth elements (REE), nickel and fluorite, pointing to the important role of the Institute in the implementation of the national raw materials policy. He emphasised the Institute's involvement in shaping National Exploration Plans and the need to apply modern techniques, in particular geophysical techniques, to the exploration and identification of critical raw material deposits.

Kaj Lax, Head of the Mineral Resources Department at the Geological Survey of Sweden, discussed the GSS's activities in supporting exploration and mining companies, including in the context of lithium and graphite project development. Christophe Poinssot, Director of the French Geological Survey, highlighted the need to review the potential of deposits in France, particularly in the context of projects being carried out in France and French Guiana. He also presented plans to establish a new research centre for the French Geological Survey. Paula Canteli, Head of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, spoke about cooperation with Latin American countries and Spanish exploration programmes. Christian Bönnemann from the German Geological Survey presented Germany's approach to implementing the CRMA and discussed geological data management in the context of strong regional structures. Tirza van Daalen, Director of EuroGeoSurveys, presented the joint activities of national geological surveys under the Geological Surveys for Europe initiative.

The next day, conference participants visited the Mining and Metallurgical Plant 'Bolesław' in Olkusz and Elemental Strategic Metals Sp. z o.o. in Zawiercie, where valuable raw materials are recovered from industrial waste, batteries, electronic waste, etc. (so-called urban mining).

Prof. Stanisław Mikulski (first from the left) during the panel discussion entitled 'The role of geological surveys in ensuring the EU raw materials security' (Photo: MKiŚ)

Participants of the EU Raw Materials Policy Conference (Photo: MKiŚ)

On 7 May, a conference entitled Geothermal Energy for Europe: Perspectives and Strategic Challenges was held, marking an important step towards further strengthening the position of geothermal energy and increasing its use in the European Union. When opening the event, Prof. Krzysztof Galos, Chief Geologist of Poland, said that the conference's theme fits in with the Polish Presidency's slogan, which is security. He emphasised that the European Union's energy security currently depends on ensuring that citizens and businesses have access to energy in sufficient quantities and at affordable prices, and that the direction we should be moving in is to strengthen Europe's commitment to a secure, clean and sustainable energy future.

The role of geological services in supporting the development of geothermal energy in Poland and in the EU was emphasised in his speech by Prof. Stanisław Wołkowicz from PGI-NRI. He mentioned that it is very important to increase public awareness of geothermal energy, which remains a relatively unknown and poorly understood renewable energy source. He also pointed out that it is very important to synergise the implementation of deep (classical) geothermal energy for use in district heating, energy, agriculture and recreation, together with the use of shallow geothermal resources using ground source heat pump technology for renewable heating and cooling of individual buildings and for seasonal underground energy storage (so-called Underground Thermal Energy Storage, UTES).

Prof. Stanisław Wołkowicz during his speech

The event aimed to enable discussion at the EU Member State level on the implementation of policies supporting the development of geothermal energy use.

The panel entitled ‘The role of geological surveys in geothermal development and their responsibilities’, moderated by Grzegorz Ryżyński (PGI-NRI), concerned the role of geological services in supporting the development of geothermal energy use in individual EU countries. The discussion covered issues such as support for geothermal development by geological services in individual EU countries, cooperation between geological services and entrepreneurs from the geothermal industry, scientists, NGOs and the government. Participants also considered whether geological data on geothermal energy is easily accessible to new investors and who collects and makes it available.

Representatives of EU countries during panel II: Spain (Ignasi Herms, ICGC), France (Pierre Nehlig, BRGM), Iceland (Steinunn Hauksdóttir, ISOR), Czech Republic (Antonin Tym, CGS, CUNI), Poland (Stanisław Wołkowicz, PGI-NRI and Grzegorz Ryżyński, PGI-NRI, moderator)

The discussions allowed for an exchange of experiences between EU countries with varying degrees of geothermal energy use. The role of geological services in the development of geothermal energy use and the need to exchange experiences and share geological data were emphasised. The need to link national activities with those at European level, such as the EuroGeoSurveys GSEU (A Geological Service for Europe, https://www.geologicalservice.eu/) project, was highlighted. It was emphasised that geothermal energy is an interdisciplinary issue requiring extensive cooperation with experts from other fields, and the growing trend towards integrating geothermal systems with other RES, such as solar collectors and photovoltaic cells, was highlighted.

One of the elements of the conference was a field trip to the Geothermal Laboratory of the Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Heat Energy Company PEC Geotermia Podhalańska S.A., and the largest thermal baths in Poland – Chochołowskie Termy. The study visit was a valuable experience for foreign guests and allowed for the presentation and promotion of Polish geothermal energy on the international market.

Wycieczka terenowa. Prof. Beata Kępińska (IGSMiE PAN, Polskie Stowarzyszenie Geotermiczne, druga z prawej) oraz Wojciech Wartak (Kierownik Zakładu Górniczego w PEC Geotermia Podhalańska) przybliżają uczestnikom konferencji warunki geotermalne niecki podhalańskiej

The conference series was accompanied by the 58th General Assembly of EuroGeoSurveys Directors. The meeting was opened by Prof. Stanisław Mikulski, Deputy Director of PGI-NRI, who said, among other things:

‘It is no coincidence that we are meeting in Kraków, a city of exceptional importance both for the Polish state and for the history of the Polish Geological Institute. Exactly here, shortly after the end of World War II, the Institute temporarily resumed its activities before it was possible to restore it in the destroyed city of Warsaw.

Kraków is not only a historical and scientific centre, but also the heart of Lesser Poland, a region of great economic importance. It is home to rich deposits of mineral resources – rock, chemical, energy and strategic – which play a key role in the country's development. Geological knowledge about these resources and their rational use and protection are more important today than ever before.

In this context, the role of the national geological services associated in EuroGeoSurveys cannot be overestimated. It is our institutions, operating at the interface between science, administration and the economy, that provide the reliable data necessary for planning raw material policy, environmental protection and counteracting the effects of climate change.

Participants debated how to shape EU raw materials policy and implement EU legislation on geology. They also discussed national plans for exploring critical raw materials, the Raw Materials Week 2025 initiative planned for November this year, and the European Raw Materials Partnership document.

Prof. Stanisław Mikulski presented activities of the Polish Geological Service. The directors re-elected Julie Hollis as Secretary General of the EGS. A roadmap leading to the creation of the Geological Service for Europe, a new platform for sharing geological data, was also presented.

Prof. S. Mikulski during his presentation

Participants of the 58th General Assembly of EuroGeoSurveys Directors

Text: Artur Baranowski, Grzegorz Ryżyński, Mariusz Socha, Radomir Pachytel
Photos: Grzegorz Ryżyński, Mariusz Socha, Marta Banasiewicz, MKiŚ