Therefore, the mineral wealth of Greece can contribute significantly to a sustainable and a competitive economy of Europe.The mineral wealth of Greece can provide solutions to the challenge of a sustainable and a competitive economy. The rational exploitation of the ore deposits will offer significant developmental benefits and it will enable Greece to strengthen its global role in the mining industry.
A new mining policy must focus on the more effective exploitation of the mineral resources, the improvement of the environmental performance, the safe operation of the mines and the accidents prevention, the mining waste management and the recycling process. However, when considering the exploitation of critical and rare metals, we have to keep in mind that this process is long, entails a high risk and requires large investments.
*Department of Mineralogy, Petrology and Economic Geology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki 54124, Greece