Acta Montanistica Slovaca Ročník 7 (2002), 3, 161-163 OMENTIN - information network about mining and environmental technologies Janos Foldessy 1 and Balazs Bodo 2 The European mining industry faces increasing challenges to meet the environmental requirements and to convince the local communities over the need and benefit of its existence. Communities and residents near mine sites have increasing concern over the use of the different mining and processing technologies. They need to know the scientific background of these technologies ,their impact on the environment and the risks involved. This information, which normally comes from authorities, companies should be detailed, simple, transparent and unbiased. To access the public and provide them with such information. improved techniques and multinational network are needed. In this network mining professionals and environmentalist should find common language and platform to discuss the benefits and hazards of mining and formulate joint opinions.. The OMENTIN projects aims to establish and develop this platform, and attempts to develop. Key words: ore mining, sustainability, environment, Carpatho-Balkan, information Introduction One of the most traditional industries in Europe is ore mining. This is especially true to our region, the central-Eastern Europe, where the mining tradition goes back to the Roman times. Ore mining exploits mineral resources. Mineral resources may create wealth for communities. The exploitation of mineral resources may also cause environmental problems and risks. The utilization of these resources thus has to be evaluated from both the economic and environmental point of view. To exploit or not the mineral resources, it is linked to the question whether the risk is acceptable or not, i.e. if this activity brings hazards to human or natural environment. No human society of developed countries may live without the use of metals, which surround us in the form of widely diversified products, from cars to CD players. The growing use of metals runs parallely with the growing concern regarding environmental impacts of ore mining, and tendencies to restrict or completely ban this industry. Our view is that ore mining should be sustainable in the long-term future the use of metals in different products which are considered as necessary for our life. The rendering the European ore mining unsustainable would restrict our metal consumption based on imported raw materials and simply export the environmental impacts of ore mining to the developing countries of other continents. The participants and objectives of the OMENTIN project Mining accidents damage the environment but also initiate efforts in technological developments to increase the safety. The Baia Mare accident in Romania and the Aitik accident in Sweden in 2000 have shown that accidents do occur irrespective of the development level of the mining industry. These accidents were a starting point of a new initiative to make technical information more understandable and available for the wide public. This initiative has come from different countries of Europe and finally has been transformed into a project, which has won the support of the European Commission. The OMENTIN (Ore Mining and Environmental Technologies Information Network) is a 3-years project in which mining professionals, geologists and environmentalists work together in assessing, evaluating and explaining hazards linked to ore mining. The project was started after the Baia Mare and Borsa and Aitik environmental mine accidents. The initial participants in the project are: Geonardo KFT Engineering and consulting company Hungary CENTEK Research and development company Sweden University of Leoben Institute for Oekosystem Analysis Austria University of Baia Mare Department of Geology and Mining Engineering Romania Regional Environmental Center Environmental foundation International The personnel of the teams are geologists, mining professionals, media experts and environmental scientists. They monitor, collect and interpret mining related data. Omentin aims to establish the cooperation of environmental and mining experts enhancing the objectivity of the information. 1 Janos Foldessy, University of Miskolc, 3515 Miskolc, Egyetemvaros, Hungary, fol4781@helka.iif.hu 2 Balazs Bodo, Geonardo KFT, 1031 Budapest Keve u 17, Hungary, info@geonardo.hu (Reviewed Aughust 5, 2002) 161