Europe could supply itself with our metals.
Romania could cover, in a few years, 15% of the deficit of non-energetic raw materials recorded in the European Union, said the government representatives present yesterday at the international conference "Non-energetic mining industry in Europe".
The Romanian mining industry could deliver about 20 millions tons of ferrous and non-ferrous ore, if it would have an efficient investments policy for the mining industry.
0.2% of the production from 1989
Romanian production of ore - copper, zinc, bauxite, iron - has gradually reduced since 1990, reaching last year 0.05 tons from the 22 millions tons, recorded before '90.
"Romania doesn't have, at this moment, a lasting policy for economic development or for the supply with raw materials or energy", said yesterday Iulian Iancu, president of the Commission for industry and services of the Deputies Chamber. Another worrying trend on the Romanian mining industry is the lack of professional employees. If, before 1989, the total number of miners reached 175.000, 65.000 of which were working in non-energetic minings, in 2007, Romania had only 2.000 miners specialized in the extraction of non-energetic ore.
The closing program of some mines will cost the Romanian state in the following nine years about a billion euro, according to Sorin Gaman, general director of the General Direction of Mineral Resources of AVAS. BATTLE FOR RESOURCES China will consume half of all raw materials in 2025
The actual non-energetic ore crisis of the EU member states is caused also by the increase in demand of countries like China and India from the African ore exporting countries, and by the accelerated price raises asked for important raw materials. According to the European Commission estimations, in 2025 will consume 45% of all raw materials and energy, that are produced in the world.
"By opening new mines in the Balkans, in northern countries and in the Iberia peninsula we could reduce UE's deficit of raw materials, but UE will remain, at least on a short term, strongly addicted to imports made in this sector", said yesterday Magnus Ericsson, president of Raw Materials Group, the main firm of analysis of the world mining sector. The European Union imports every year over 177 millions tons of metal ore, valued at over 10 billions euro.