BULGARIA HOSTS THE EUROPEAN MINERALS DAY 2011 LAUNCH EVENT

THE EVENT IS ORGANISED BY THE EUROPEAN INDUSTRIAL MINERALS ASSOCIATION (IMA EUROPE) AND KAOLIN AD



The launch event of the European Minerals Day takes place in Bulgaria. The country is nominated for the first time to host the celebration ceremony on 12 and 13 May 2011. The initiative is organised by IMA Europe and Kaolin AD (IMA member), supported by the Bulgarian Association of Producers of Inert Materials BAPIM , the Bulgarian Chamber of Mining and Geology and St. Ivan Rilski University of Mining and Geology .

The celebration launch event will be the opening of the Shadows in the Rocks. Minerals and Biodiversity exhibition in Ruse Regional Museum of History, after which the winners of the Minerals, Quarries and Nature: Hand in Hand International Children’s Drawing Contest will be announced. The official ceremony will be held at Kaolin’s quarry in Vyatovo; it will be followed by visits to local company sites.

The European Minerals Day 2011 premiere was on 13 April 2011 in the European Parliament, where Bulgaria was officially announced as the host of the event.

Janez Potočnik, European Commissioner for the Environment, lends his personal support to the European Minerals Day 2011.

This initiative aims at helping the wide European community to learn more about an industry that affects all aspects of our lives.

Minerals Play a Vital Role in Our Lives



Minerals play a vital role in our lives as 70% of the EU industrial production depends on mined raw materials. All our cars, homes and household appliances are made from minerals. Our mobile phones contain more than 40 kinds of substances; their number in our computers exceeds 80. Nevertheless, many EU citizens are unaware of the significance of mined raw materials for Europe’s economy. The construction, chemical, automotive, aerospace and machine engineering industries, which provide a total added value of € 1324 billion and 30 million jobs, all depend on access to raw materials.

The number of deposits in Bulgaria exceeds 600. The share of the mining industry in the national economy is a turnover of nearly BGN 2 billion. The sector provides 30 000 jobs, or 120 000 jobs if sub-contractors are included; it gives about 5% the country’s GDP.

Biodiversity and Resource Effectiveness



Biodiversity is a key focus of the European Minerals Day. The European operators adhere to the sound principles of sustainable development and offer numerous winning environment-oriented solutions. Mining quarries, whether active or no longer in use, are a habitat of rare species of birds and other fauna. The mining companies design long-term operation plans to ensure environment protection and biodiversity, and make provisions for land restoration and rehabilitation. The sector wants to promote its important role in resource effectiveness, especially regarding mining and production processes, as well as post-operation recycling.

On the European level, the European Minerals Day is coordinated by IMA Europe, the European Aggregates Association UEPG and the European Cement Association CEMBUREAU.

A variety of activities will be performed between 13 and 15 May on mining sites all over Europe to demonstrate the mineral industry significance to all, who are interested.

For the events agenda, participating countries and companies, please visit www.mineralsday.eu

You can find information on the celebration in Bulgaria and the initiatives organised by Kaolin AD on www.kaolinmineralsday.com

Contact person for the mass media: Desislava Markova, Kaolin AD, 00359 84 612 525, mineralsday@kaolin.bg