EU documents of major importance relevant to issues of mineral resource utilisation

Abstract

RAW MATERIALS INITIATIVE and REPORT ON CRITICAL RAW MATERIALS FOR THE EU are two documents of major importance as regards the issues of mineral resources of the European Union. The former document calls upon the EU Member States to maximize utilisation of domestic mineral resources, especially as regards those labelled as critical, the latter concerns occurrence of some such critical minerals in the Czech Republic. In actual fact, compliance with the implications of these documents means renewal of exploitation of residual mineral resources. Nonetheless, such activity anticipates positive economic results, and these are conditioned by investment means available for resumption of production. Both investment and operating expenses can be cut down if existing mining capacities are utilized. This paper investigates possibilities of mining resumption in the Czech Republic from the point of view of the methods employed for decommissioning and closure of mines. The so-called "wet" preservation of mines is recommended both for a future easy option of accessing decommissioned underground works and the possibilities of using pit water itself or employing its energy.