The MINEX Europe Forum 2025 took place on 21–22 October in Lisbon, Portugal, under the theme “Made in Europe: Securing Critical Raw Materials for a Sustainable Future.” The event brought together industry leaders, policymakers, researchers, and innovators to explore Europe’s path towards responsible and secure raw materials supply chains for Europe.
As a partner of the event, INTRAW played an active role across multiple sessions, contributing its expertise to discussions on sustainability, inclusivity, and innovation in the raw materials sector.
On 21 October, Vitor Correia, INTRAW’s Secretary General, delivered a presentation titled “Mining in Environmentally Protected Areas: From Public Opposition to Public Support” during the session “Europe’s Mining Dilemma: Aligning Mineral Needs with Environmental and Social Imperatives.” The presentation featured insights and results from the EU-funded CIRAN project which is coordinated by INTRAW. The session’s discussion addressed Europe’s challenge of balancing its critical raw materials needs with environmental protection and community trust. Speakers highlighted policy approaches, case studies, and strategies for ensuring genuine public consultation and free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC).
INTRAW Secretary General Vitor Correia presents CIRAN project
Later that day, Vitor Correia moderated a fireside chat on “Inclusivity, Social License to Operate, and the Future of Sustainable Raw Materials in Europe.” The panel featured Sarah Gordon (Imperial College London) and Peter Tom Jones (KU Leuven Institute for Sustainable Metals and Minerals). The session explored how to strengthen the public’s understanding of raw materials and the social dimensions of mining, complemented by excerpts from the documentaries “100 Perceptions: Raw Materials” (VECTOR Project) and “Europe’s Lithium Paradox” (Journeyman Pictures).
On 22 October, INTRAW Board Member Marko Komac presented the EU-funded BLOOM project in the session “Meeting Europe’s Raw Materials Needs from Primary and Secondary Sources.” His presentation, “Liberation Analysis for Optimizing Extraction and Processing of CRMs,” introduced BLOOM’s innovative approach to developing an integrated, real-time Mineral Liberation Analysis system supported by AI and machine learning. This technology aims to improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of mineral extraction and processing, enabling the exploitation of low-grade deposits and expanding access to Europe’s raw materials.
INTRAW Board member Marko Komac presents BLOOM project
INTRAW was proud to partner with MINEX Europe 2025, fostering discussions that will help shape Europe’s sustainable raw materials future.