GeoNews - EFG's monthly newsletter July 2024

On 18 July 2024, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who was elected for a second mandate, presented to the European Parliament her Political Guidelines for the next European Commission 2024-2029.

The “Science, Research and Innovation performance of the EU” report, which is published every 2 years, analyses research and innovation dynamics as well as Europe's innovation performance and its drivers.

The European Environmental Agency (EEA) currently has an open call for experts to assist in carrying out preparatory work in support of EEA’s activities with the main focus on the areas of Resource use, Circular economy and waste, Health and environment, Oceans and sustainable blue economy, Biodiversity, Climate, and Sustainability transitions.

Following the recent launch of the EFG Academy, we are excited to announce a series of new courses supporting the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) for geologists:

• “Machine Learning for Geoscientists” conducted by Tom Meuzelaar from Life Cycle Geo, 31 July
• "Resource Modelling using Leapfrog Geo" organised by ICOG and EFG, 16-19 September (15h in total)
• "What is Public Affairs and Why is it So Important for Geologists" by Dr. Alan Hardacre, 24 September
• "Environmental Geochemistry for the Mine Project Life Cycle" by Life Cycle Geo 1-22 October (four two-hour sessions over four weeks)

Don't miss out on these opportunities and register soon to save your spot!

The 5th International Professional Geology Conference (IPGC) is now open for proposals from public and private entities wishing to host a session, workshop, training, or any other event during the Conference. All meetings will be held in person from November 5 to November 7, 2025, at the World Trade Center in Zaragoza, Spain. All proposals are welcome, but those fitting the following criteria will be considered favourably:

• Focused on societal challenges (CRM, geothermal, etc.)
• Interdisciplinary approach (including non-geologists)
• Sharing the ‘how-to’
• Expert, gender-balanced, and regionally diverse speaker line-up
• Creative, interactive, and engaging format
• Duration of 1 to 4 hours
• Speakers already committed to attending in-person

In addition, the conference offers several sponsorship options which will allow you to reach up to 700 attendees and more than 50 national level associations represented at the meeting. Join us as sponsors and connect with industry leaders, renowned academics, and professionals from around the world!

Are you ready to make a profound impact on the future of the geoscience profession in Europe? We are in search of an exceptional individual to fill the role of Executive Director at our Brussels headquarters.

On 27 June 2024, the strategic workshop "Lithium Extraction from Geothermal Brines: Potential and Future Challenges" took place in Rome, Italy. Organised by the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security (MASE), this event brought together leading experts on lithium extraction, with a particular focus on the Italian market. The occasion highlights Italy's commitment to revitalising its geothermal industry and leveraging its vast geothermal potential as a cornerstone of its long-term energy strategy. The workshop addressed the integrated supply chain for low-carbon lithium production, underscoring regulatory and legislative gaps at various governmental levels. It also focused on scientific research and the challenges faced by both public and private sectors.
The organisation of this event by MASE, a public institution, underscores the Italian state's strong interest in domestic raw material production, particularly through the extraction methodology from geothermal fluids, an approach which has the added value of allowing for the concurrent production of renewable energy and reduced environmental impact. EFG was represented at the event through members of its Panel of Experts on Geothermal Energy.

The Meggen Raw Materials Days are an international conference on mineral resources and exploration organised each year by our German member, the BDG.
National and international mineral resources and exploration experts from organisations, authorities, politics, and the economy are gather to inform themselves and exchange views on current developments in the mineral resources sector.
The 10th edition of the event will take place as usual at the Galileo Park in Lennestadt-Meggen (Germany) from 11 to 13 September 2024.

As part of the TIMREX project, a Summer Field School was organised for 25 students studying mostly in universities from the East-South-Eastern European region between 10-14 June. 25 students participated in the event from 8 universities across Europe from Estonia to Greece. TIMREX is an EIT-RawMaterials co-financed project to implement the TIMREX EIT-labelled joint master’s programme on innovative mineral resource exploration.

From 9 to 11 September, the RawMatCop Academy will offer another edition of its training on “Advanced Applications of Remote Sensing in Raw Materials”. The course will take place in Liège, Belgium, at the same venue as the annual Geologica Belgica conference.
The RawMatCop Academy offers practical, hands-on courses in Copernicus for Raw Materials. Participants are trained to unlock the power of Copernicus for companies, organisations, and research institutions along the entire life-cycle of raw materials.
Course participants will work directly with Copernicus Sentinel satellite data and learn how to apply it in the workplace for the improvement of
This course is endorsed by EFG and EurGeol title holders benefit from a reduced registration fee.

We invite all geologists to complete the 2024 edition of the EFG Employment Survey.

Why?
The EFG Employment Survey aims to take a snapshot of the current labour market for geologists in Europe. Through this survey, we seek to answer crucial questions about the profession:

• Which industries are professional geologists working in?
• What is their current employment status and security?
• Do their professional activities align with their training?
• Are they capitalising on job opportunities in other European countries?
• What are their prospects for the future?

To boost our advocacy efforts and enhance the recognition of the geologist profession at the European level, EFG needs robust data on the number of geology professionals in Europe and their mobility requirements. Our goal is to strengthen our engagement with the European institutions concerning the inclusion of the geologist profession under Directive 2005/36 and to advocate for the creation of a European Professional Card for geologists. Currently, the geologist profession is not considered eligible for the Professional Card due to the perception that it lacks high mobility requirements. We, as geologists, understand that our profession demands significant mobility, but we need concrete data to support our case.

Please help us to advance the recognition and importance of the geologist profession by completing the Employment Survey.

Thank you for your participation and for contributing to the future of geology in Europe.

It’s vacation time and we have compiled for you a selection of videos from the EFG YouTube channel:

• Vlog on Artificial Intelligence: How Different is a Geologist’s Life Going to Look?
• EFG Webinar: Changing Gear - New Roles in the Energy Expansion
• EFG Webinar: Mine Measure – IRMA’s Self-Assessment and Audit Preparation Tool
• EFG Webinar: Multiple target horizon exploration of an integrated geothermal system in Göttingen
• Webinar: Formation and chemical evolution of the Moon as the key to assess its potential resources

CCS

The European Commission has published updated Guidance Documents for the Directive on geological storage of carbon dioxide.The updated documents provide operators and competent authorities with enhanced guidance on the permitting and de-risking of CO2 storage projects.

Geothermal

The Hungarian EU Presidency will put a focus on geothermal energy. Between now and the EU ‘Energy’ Council on 16 December, Hungary plans to adopt conclusions on promoting geothermal energy and reducing the associated financing risks. The second day of an informal meeting of European energy ministers, on 16 July, was marked by an overwhelming support for the potential creation of a strategy and a European Geothermal Alliance.

Hydrogeology

The Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) of the Water4All Partnership will be updated in 2025. As part of the update process, a public consultation on the topics of the Water4All SRIA has been launched. The deadline for contributing is 11 August.

The European Environment Agency (EEA) has recently issued a report on 'Responding to climate change impacts on human health in Europe: focus on floods, droughts and water quality'.

Minerals

The European Parliament's Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA) recently published a study entitled 'The role of research and innovation in ensuring a safe and sustainable supply of critical raw materials in the EU'. This study aims at illuminating the R&I's role in ensuring a safe and sustainable supply of CRM. It concludes by presenting 11 policy options on EU institutional and R&I capacities, international collaboration and legitimacy, assessing each against a list of dimensions including costs, benefits and feasibility.

Natural Hazards

The Hazards Information Profiles (HIPs) initiative is a collaborative effort between the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the International Science Council (ISC) to address the heightened interconnectivity of hazards and risks. To further enhance their relevance and usability, the UNDRR and ISC initiated a review of the Hazard Information Profiles (HIPs).

The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) has published a new report on “Cross-border and emerging risks in Europe”, including among others floods, earthquakes and droughts.

Soil

The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre has published a new report on “Land Degradation in Europe”. It presents an analysis of land multi-degradation in 40 continental countries, using twelve dataset-based processes that were modelled as land degradation convergence and combination pathways in Europe’s agricultural (and arable) environments.