The country plans to explore its domestic resources under the EU Critical Raw Materials Act. Around €42.9 million has been allocated to the program, with copper, platinum group metals, graphite, helium and fluorspar among the priority materials.
The Polish government has approved a national program to explore domestic raw material deposits. According to the Ministry of Climate and Environment, which is leading the initiative, the aim is to reduce Poland’s and the European Union’s dependence on raw material imports.
The program fulfils a requirement under the EU Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA). The regulation requires Member States to establish national exploration programs and review them at least every five years. The CRMA also sets a target for domestic mining to meet 10% of EU demand for certain critical raw materials by 2030.
The Polish government has allocated around €42.9 million to the initiative, with funding provided by the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management. The Polish Geological Institute (PIG-PIB) will implement the program, which will run from 2026 to 2033. The initial work will focus on assessing the country’s resource base through geological mapping, geochemical and geophysical surveys, and drilling. Whether any deposits are ultimately developed will depend on factors including economic viability, environmental requirements and permitting procedures.
Copper and Platinum Group Metals Take Priority
The program divides the raw materials into three priority groups. Copper ores, platinum group metals, graphite, barite, fluorspar, helium and feldspar resources are in the highest-priority category. Deposits containing tungsten, titanium, vanadium and bismuth, among other materials, will receive medium priority. Rare earths, lithium, gallium, germanium, antimony, hafnium, boron and scandium have been placed in the lowest-priority category. According to the government, the prospects of confirming deposits of these materials in Poland are limited.
Significant Copper and Helium Resources
Poland already has significant copper and silver production. According to the Polish Geological Institute, the country’s most important mining region is located in Lower Silesia. Helium is also recovered and processed from Polish natural gas deposits.
By contrast, Poland relies entirely on imports for barite and fluorspar. Domestic mining ceased in the late 1990s, although barite powder continued to be produced from mining waste until 2008.
A rare earth processing plant is planned in Puławy in eastern Poland. The project is being developed by Canadian company Mkango Resources. The EU has designated it as a Strategic Project under the CRMA, making it eligible for faster permitting procedures and improved access to financing.
More on EU countries and their mineral resources: Alongside Poland, countries including Spain and Italy have launched national critical raw materials programs. These initiatives focus not only on identifying new resources, but also on reopening former mines and recovering raw materials from remaining mining waste such as spoil heaps.
Photo: iStock/Belus.
