The Nordic countries of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Greenland are the most important producers of iron ore in Europe; and are among the continent’s top producers of lead, zinc, copper, gold, silver and coal. These four Nordic countries account for over half of the annual metal production from the European Union (EU).
Sweden dominates the Nordic mining sector, with more than 60% of the total ore output (mainly from its metals mines). Finland and Norway each account for almost 20% of the total. The only other European country of note in terms of mining output is Poland.
Given growing political support from both the European Commission and the individual Nordic governments, it is highly likely that the region’s mining sector will develop at a higher rate than the global average.
Due to the increasing importance of its mining sector, founder and chairman of Stockholm-based Raw Materials Group (RMG), Magnus Ericsson, recently called for the creation of a European Bureau of Mines and for a coordinated approach from the Nordic countries to their mining-focused lobbying of the EU.
Professor Ericsson will repeat this call at the upcoming RMG Exploration and Mining Investment conference, which will take place at Stockholm’s Opera House November 20-21. Professor Ericsson has previously commented on Europe’s “missed mining opportunities,” and will express to delegates at the RMG conference that Europe and the European mining industry would benefit from closer cooperation with mineral-rich African countries.
Opening the two-day Stockholm conference will be Jan Häggström, chief economist and senior vice president of Svenska Handelsbanken AB, one of Sweden’s leading banks with more than 10,000 employees. Häggström will examine the global macro-economic situation and the role of the Nordic countries on the world stage.
Others among the 25 speakers at the conference will discuss Europe’s share of world metals production, the untapped mineral potential of the Fennoscandian Shield, and overall global commodity trends. Boliden CEO Lennart Evrell, will be one of 13 senior mining executives highlighting what their companies are doing to develop key Nordic resources.
Other corporate presentations will include Agnico Eagle Mines, Auriant Mining, Beowulf Mining, Dragon Mining, Endomines, Kiruna Iron, Kopparberg Minerals, LKAB, Nickel Mountain, Nordic Iron Ore, Northland Resources, Sotkamo Silver and Talga Resources.
