BOLIDEN AB (POST SPLIT)
Commented by Nico Popp on March 11th, 2026 | 07:15 CET
Mining comeback in Europe: Solid returns with Group Eleven Resources, Boliden, and Glencore
The European raw materials landscape is undergoing a realignment. For decades, the industry relied on cheap imports from overseas. But those days of largely unchallenged globalization are coming to an end. In order to end dependence on uncertain supply chains and ensure the survival of the industry, the focus is shifting to domestic extraction of critical metals. The European Commission has defined clear goals with the Critical Raw Materials Act and the ambitious RESourceEU Action Plan: By 2030, 10% of the mining and 40% of the processing of critical metals should occur within the EU. In this environment, the European zinc and silver sector is making a comeback. While zinc has historically been in demand primarily in the construction industry, it is now indispensable for the corrosion protection of wind turbines. Silver is even becoming a critical industrial metal due to the tremendous boom in artificial intelligence (AI) and the construction of data centers. Ireland, in particular, is establishing itself as a raw materials region in this phase. The country has one of the world's most productive geological provinces for high-grade base metals and boasts excellent geoscientific data from the Tellus program. Established mining giants such as Boliden and Glencore are setting standards, while up-and-coming explorers such as Group Eleven Resources are shining with spectacular discoveries and offering investors extremely lucrative entry opportunities.
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