This year's European Minerals Forum aims to help the aggregates industry look for opportunities from recession
Europe's quarrying industry has been hit by the global recession with lower aggregates demand recorded in almost every region. However, this year European Minerals Forum plans to look at how the situation can be turned around to benefit the sector.
"Turning Recession into Opportunities" is the theme for the next session of the forum, which is planned for Wednesday 25 November in Brussels. Organisers the
Last year's European Minerals Forum attracted more than 130 European minerals and aggregates industry delegates, as well as members of the European Commission representatives for debate and discussion on the topic of security of supply.
This years' event hope to build on this success and will be once again be held at the Renaissance Hotel, close to the
The foundation has said that it selected the topic of "Turning Recession into Opportunities" to help the industry analyse some of the difficulties currently facing it and to look at some of the positive effects.
The forum will include four break-out sessions, each chaired by a business leader, a guest speaker to outline the challenge and a leading representative to act as rapporteur to ensure deliverable outcomes. This year the break-out sessions will focus on key action areas of the current European strategy to "Turn Recession into Opportunities" for
The UEPG has been especially active in the area covered by the first break-out session that is reviewing health and safety issues and the association will play an active part in this part of the forum. The UEPG has now been accepted as a social partner in order to contribute to better risk management, reinforcement of health protection, current accident project survey and reducing accidents/incidents at work sites.
"This year the break-out sessions will focus on key action areas of the current European strategy to "Turn Recession into Opportunities" for European Union policy makers, legislators and companies"
Nonetheless, the organisers of the European Minerals Forum have also been active in the other topic areas since the last event, by promoting recycling and protection of the environment, participating in the Raw Materials Initiative working groups and advocating greater accessibility to resources.
Ahead of the break-out sessions, the event will include a number of keynote speeches with some presented by members of the European Commission. The first speaker will introduce the challenge of "Maintaining and improving the health, safety and quality of life of all stakeholders" in the extractive industries, while Maria Spiliopoulou-Kaparia will speak on "Ensuring access to essential raw materials" through better planning, more effective permitting and further promotion recycling". This will be followed by advice on "Stimulating investment in sustainable infrastructures"; and Ladislav Miko will tackle how we can "Meet the climate change challenge" through investment in operational efficiency and upgrading buildings for greater CO2/energy efficiency". The event will also be an opportunity to discuss key issues for the minerals industry, such as Natura 2000, criticality and accessibility to raw materials, and to provide examples of best practice.
Key speakers will include representatives from the industry, with Tim Stokes who is vice president, communication and public affairs for
Following a key note speech on the Spanish Presidency's Economic Priorities, rapporteurs for each of the groups will present the results of the discussions.
Over the last few years, the forum has proved to be an effective place to contribute to the shaping of minerals sector policy goals and strategy, and the UEPG has said that this year's theme should be of special interest to the key players of the sector.
