SET OF QUALIFYING CONDITIONS FOR A HARMONISED MAPPING FRAMEWORK (HMF) FOR EACH TYPE OF MINERAL

Challenge the practice is addressing: The report proposes detailed criteria to identify and describe Mineral Deposits of Public Importance (MDoPI). It does so by analysing the current methods for identifying MDoPIs in Austria, Sweden, Poland and Portugal, and based on the learnings, proposes improved methods which are described in detail in this document. The report also proposes criteria which would need to be applied in the EU Member states in order to delineate MDoPIs. The detailed criteria cover the following dimensions: Geological Knowledge, Technical and Economic, Competing Land Use, and Societal. The proposed method is then applied to Poland as an experiment case study.

Concrete practice to achieve the expected goal: First, the current methods in some of the EU Member states are examined thoroughly. Then, a proposal for a new method to assign MDoPI is introduced. The conclusion is that the criteria for MDoPI assignment should have the following dimensions: Geological Knowledge, Technical and Economic, Competing Land-Use and Societal dimension. The document proposes one universal set of criteria for each of the aforementioned dimensions. The user of the methodology is provided with a formula to count a score for each dimension and the total scoring would be used to evaluate whether a mineral deposit should be defined as a MDoPI or not. Each Member State could adopt different weightings for each proposed dimension.

Expected impact/goal of the practice: The objective of the practice is to aid decision makers by providing them with a tool to identify mineral raw materials resources that are of importance to society (MDoPI). The ultimate goal is to protect the accessibility of these minerals deposits.

Who is the target user group of the practice/intervention or implementing the practice/intervention? Policy makers in each of the EU Member State