Der österreichische Bergbau: Nationale und internationale Aspekte

The security of supply of mineral raw materials is an indispensable basis for a flourishing economy. In order to ensure this and to be able to react to current challenges, the Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism published its raw materials strategy called “Masterplan Mineral Resources 2030” at the end of 2021. The goals of the European Green Deal can be achieved with innovative key technologies that are directly linked with the input of raw materials. The increasing demand for mineral resources is already reflected by production statistics. The world mining production has increased by almost 60% since 2000 to an all-time high of around 17.9 billion tonnes in 2019. It is remarkable that Europe is the only continent with a declining production rate over the last twenty years. It is very likely that Oceania, especially Australia, will produce more mineral raw materials than Europe in 2020. Most commodity prices have increased significantly in the last year and the growing demand for the use of resources in future technologies will probably lead to high commodity prices in the future. The aim of the European Union is to build and strengthen the resilience of its economy by promoting mining activities and circular economy as well as the diversification of supply chains while always respecting the terms of the Sustainable Development Goals.