CCM 2023

The Association of Mining and Geology Engineers of Serbia, the Yugoslav Opencast Mining Committee, the University of Belgrade - Faculty of Mining and Geology, the Association of Mining Engineers of Germany and the Association of Mining Engineers and Geologists of the Republic of Srpska organized the 11th International Conference Coal and Critical Minerals CCM 2023, which was held from 11th to 14th October, 2023 in Zlatibor at the Palisad Hotel.

The opening of the 11th International Conference Coal and Critical Minerals CCM 2023 was attended by over 150 participants from Serbia, Republika Srpska, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Greece, Bulgaria, Germany, Italy and Portugal. Simultaneous translation was provided. The opening ceremony was chaired by prof. Vladimir Pavlovic (president of the organizing committee) and prof. Tomislav Subaranovic (president of the Association of Mining and Geology Engineers of Serbia).

The conference participants were greeted by the president of the organizing committee, prof. Pavlovic, after which the assistant of the Ministry of Mining and Energy of the Republic of Serbia minister, asst. prof. Ivan Jankovic greeted and welcomed the participants to Zlatibor, and gave an overview of the state of research and mining in the Republic of Serbia, with special reference to coal and critical mineral raw materials. After that, asst. prof. Ivan Jankovic officially opened the 11th International Conference Coal and Critical Minerals, and at the same time wished a successful conference for all conference participants.

The first presentation in the plenary part of the conference entitled COAL AND CRITICAL MINERALS was held by prof. Dragan Ignjatovic (University of Belgrade, Faculty of Mining and Geology).

The next presentation entitled A CRITICAL LOOK AT THE CRITICALITY OF RAW MATERIALS was given in the plenary by Daniel de Oliveira, member of the Mineral Resources Expert Group, EuroGeoSurveys (Laboratorio Nacional de Energia e Geologia from Portugal).

The presentation titled HOW TO TRIGGER YOUNGSTERS’ INTEREST IN THE RAW MATERIAL SECTOR AND IMPROVING PUBLIC ACCEPTANCE: THE ROLE OF EDUCATION in the plenary session was held by Armida Torreggiani (National Research Council of Italy).

After Armida Torreggiana's presentation, Dragana Davidovic from the company DPM Avala d.o.o (Belgrade) held a presentation titled COKA RAKITA - NEW DISCOVERY OF GOLD-BEARING MINERALIZATION IN SKARN, also in the plenary part.

In addition, the company DPM Avala d.o.o. is also the gold sponsor of the 11th International Conference Coal and Critical Minerals CCM 2023.

After Dragana Davidovic's presentation, the representative of the company Serbia ZiJin Copper, Jovica Radosavljevic, greeted the organizers and the conference participants in the name of his company, after which he played a short film about the company’s work. The company Serbia ZiJin Copper is the silver sponsor of the 11th International Conference Coal and Critical Minerals. With the presentation of the company Serbia ZiJin Copper, the first plenary part of the conference ended.

After the break, the plenary work of the conference continued. The second plenary part was chaired by prof. Dragan Ignjatovic and asst. prof. Stevan Djenadic. In this plenary part, the first presentation titled MINING EQUIPMENT MANAGEMENT AND UTILIZATION IN A CLOSURE PHASE OF CONTINUOUS SURFACE MINES – A CIRCULAR ECONOMY APPROACH was held by Pavloudakis F. (University of Western Macedonia – Greece). The second presentation, titled LEVERAGING REGIONAL MINING ACTIVITES FOR SUSTAINABLE AND JUST ENERGY TRANSITION AND DECARBONISATION, was by Pagouni C. (University of Western Macedonia – Greece). The next presentation titled ADVANCES IN UNDERSTANDING OF TECHNOLOGIES FOR TREATMENT OF CRITICAL MINERALS was held by Srecko Stopic (RWTH Aschen University – Germany). The last presentation in the second plenary part entitled SECONDARY DEPOSITS AS POTENTIAL SOURCE OF METALS IN THE WEST BALKAN REGION was given by Robert Sajn (Geological Institute of Slovenia). At the end of the plenary part, Milan Radosavljevic presented the company Meris d.o.o. from Belgrade. Meris Company is a bronze sponsor of the 11th International Coal and Critical Minerals Conference.

During the break, the president of SIRGS, prof. Tomislav Subaranovic awarded a certificate of gratitude to SIRGS member Vladimir Ivos for long-term cooperation and promotion of SIRGS.

Prof. Tomislav Subaranovic also awarded the representatives of the gold, silver and bronze sponsors (DPM Avala doo from Belgrade (golden sponsor), Serbia ZiJin Copper d.o.o. from Bor (silver sponsor), Meris d.o.o. from Belgrade (bronze sponsor) and Vedir Impex d.o.o. from Belgrade (bronze sponsor)) certificates of appreciation for the sponsorship of the 11th International Conference Coal and Critical Minerals. Other sponsors are the following companies: Skala M d.o.o. from Belgrade, Construction Institute of Macedonia - representative office in Belgrade and AP Sidro d.o.o. from Belgrade.

We would like to thank all the sponsors of the 11th International Conference Coal and Critical Minerals - with their help we were able to organize the mentioned conference with great quality and success with over 150 participants from 10 countries.

After the lunch break, there was a roundtable discussion named SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES OF MINING MINERAL RAW MATERIALS, chaired by prof. Vladimir Pavlovic and prof. Dragan Ignjatovic.

After the introductory presentations by prof. Vladimir Pavlovic and prof. Dragan Ignjatovic and exhaustive discussions of a number of Round Table participants, the following conclusions were reached:

It was established that the mining sector has a great potential that has not been utilized for energy security and safety and the overall socio-economic development of the Republic of Serbia, due to the increasingly frequently asked question (by individuals and interest groups) of mining sustainability in the context of the negative impact on the environment and social community. This trend in the domestic environment has been adopted from the developed countries, where in recent decades concerns and lobbying of certain interested parties declared that the economic and any other development of humanity based on the continuous increase in the mining primary mineral resources is unsustainable, although all forecasts relative world institutions indicate that between now and 2060, the consumption of mineral resources will at least double.

Achieving a balance between economic prosperity, health, environment and social equity is responsible mining. In order to build a system of responsible mining, significant changes are necessary in business strategies, operational technologies, personal behavior and public policies in the mining sector, to enable a rational balancing of the need for mineral resources and protecting the environment and society from unnecessary harmful impacts of mining activities.

In order to build a system for responsible mining, it is necessary to:

• 1. Give the greatest importance to mineral raw materials and the mining sector for the future socio-economic development of the Republic of Serbia, bearing in mind the generally accepted energy transition and the geopolitical situation;
• 2. Create a new Mineral Resources Management Strategy, define mineral policy and critical mineral raw materials for further socio-economic development of the Republic of Serbia;
• 3. Innovate legislation in the field of the mining sector or in sectors that have an impact on the mining sector in accordance with good global practice;
• 4. Raising personnel capacity and competence at the level of the entire mining sector through the obligation of continuous education, namely:
  • a. Modernization and adaptation of study programs of higher educational institutions in accordance with modern scientific, technological and ecological achievements of sustainable mining;
  • b. Education programs organized by mining associations;
  • c. Education programs of other institutions in the field of the mining sector;
  • d. Participation in relevant domestic and foreign conferences, symposia and seminars.
• 5. Greater engagement and cooperation of the mining sector with interested parties in the process of improving the quality of life, with a joint balancing for protecting the environment and society from unnecessary harmful effects along with mining;
• 6. To jointly promote the awareness that mineral resources are essential for global sustainable development, especially among the younger generations in the first level of education, but also through the education of the entire population;
• 7. Within the Association of Mining and Geology Engineers of Serbia, as an umbrella association, it is necessary to urgently organize building a system of responsible mining based on good world practice, through a sustainability program that supports mining companies in managing key environmental and social risks.