The European Commission and the EU Member States recognised the importance of the mining sector in satisfying the raw material demand for consumer products and a successful transition towards a circular and sustainable economy. While on the one hand, mining for mineral and metal raw materials faces significant sustainable development challenges, such as concerns about the safety and management of impacts (UNEP, 2017), on the other hand, the European Union and its Member States (European Commission, 2012; European Commission, 2017) have recognized its importance for fundamental societal transformation processes, such as a circular economy. However, it is unclear as to how suitable national public policy frameworks are in supporting industry innovations for more sustainable mining operations.
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