Since the beginning of May 2025, the Regional Council of Kainuu has been involved in the EMRIE project funded by the Interreg Europe programme. The project themes deal with sustainable extractive industries. The first official partner meeting of EMRIE project was held in Portugal – read our first project news below!
Diving into the Themes A Getting to Know the faces
The official kick-off partner meeting of the newly launched EMRIE project (European Mining Regions Innovation Ecosystem supporting the Circularity and Resource Efficiency) was arranged from 6 to 8 May 2025 in Castro Verde, Portugal. During the meeting, the project’s objectives, scheduling, different work phases, communication and future partner meetings – both online and physically organized gatherings – were discussed.
The main partner of the project is from Portugal, and there are partner organizations also from Spain, Poland, Sweden, Greece, Ukraine and Finland. In honor of the first gathering, the meeting program included presentations by all 11 project partners, making the partner organizations, the mining activities in the regions they represent, and the policy instruments being developed known to the other partners.
The meeting provided an excellent starting point for the project cooperation and created a strong foundation for future development work on the reuse of mining areas and sustainable environmental management.
How can closed mining areas be used for tourism?
As part of the meeting, the group visited the historic São Domingos mining area. The mine began operating during the Roman Empire and was closed in 1966. The area was left severely contaminated as a result of the mining operations. The Portuguese government has started cleaning up the area, and this important work will continue well into the future.
As Interreg Europe projects do, also the EMRIE project shares good practices among the partnership. The São Domingos area serves as an example of how an old mining area can be rehabilitated and reused. In recent years, the area has been given a new lease of life through tourism. Many of the old mining buildings and the open pit are still visible. The former headquarters of the mining company has been converted into a hotel, and the area also houses a small museum and archive, Casa do Mineiro, which tells the story of the life of a Portuguese miner. An exhibition related to the mining area can also be seen in an old cinema.
EMRIE Project in Short
A secure and sustainable supply of raw materials for European industry and society is currently high on the EU agenda. The new EU Critical Raw Materials Regulation (CRMA) offers a significant opportunity for all stakeholders in the sector, especially in regions where mineral resources are present.
The main objective of the CRMA is to increase domestic production of strategic primary and secondary minerals, with extraction covering at least 10% of consumption and recycling/reuse at least 25%. This ambitious goal requires a dramatic shift in current policy instruments and the adoption of new ones. At the same time, it holds the promise of transforming regional ecosystems rich in critical and strategic raw materials.
The EMRIE partners represent European regions with valuable reserves for the CRMA.
In Kainuu and Eastern Finland, the EMRIE project measures are linked to the implementation of the Innovation and Skills in Finland 2021–2027 – EU regional and structural policy programme and to supporting projects that promote the EMRIE project objective. In addition, the EMRIE project will enhance cooperation between the regions of Eastern and Northern Finland, especially between actors that are part of the mining innovation ecosystem. The Regional Council of Kainuu, as an official project partner, represents the regions of Eastern and Northern Finland, which are involved in the project as stakeholders:
Mining Finland Association
Regional Council of Lapland
Regional Council of North Ostrobothnia
Regional Council of Central Ostrobothnia
Regional Council of North Karelia
Geological Survey of Finland (GTK)
University of Oulu
Business Joensuu/ Outokumpu Mining Hub
CEMIS Centre for Measurement and Information Systems
Digipolis Oy/ Circular Economy Centre
Read more
About the project in Finnish on the Kainuu Regional Council website
Official project website on the Interreg Europe programme website: EMRIE – European Mining Regions Innovation Ecosystems supporting the Circularity and Resource Efficiency | Interreg Europe
