The Mining Sector Assembly Meeting organized by the MÜSİAD Metal and Mining Sector Board was held with the broad participation of representatives of the public sector, academia and the private sector.
Deputy General Manager of the General Directorate of Mining and Petroleum Affairs (MAPEG) Fatih Dumanlı and Head of the Permits and Easements Department of the General Directorate of Forestry Aytunç Nane also took part in the meeting. At the meeting, the current state of the mining sector in Türkiye, the structural problems encountered and proposed solutions were discussed comprehensively.
Delivering the opening speech of the meeting, Chairman of the MÜSİAD Metal and Mining Sector Board Muhittin Can emphasized that mining is not merely a production activity but one of the fundamental building blocks of industry, energy, defence and economic development. Stating that the sector has been raising similar problems for many years but that the desired progress has not been achieved at the implementation stage, Can said that this meeting offered an important basis for producing collective wisdom.
In the first part of the meeting, senior representatives of public institutions, academics and sector stakeholders introduced themselves and made assessments regarding the fundamental problems encountered in the field of mining. In this context, in the sessions in which representatives of MAPEG and the General Directorate of Forestry also took part, the length of licensing and permit processes, the confusion of authority between institutions, the weakening of predictability in the investment environment and the difficulties experienced in access to financing were among the main headings on which the participants converged. Deputy General Manager of MAPEG Fatih Dumanlı pointed out that mechanisms that will increase predictability in licensing processes and integrity in implementation are of critical importance for the investment environment. Head of the Permits and Easements Department of the General Directorate of Forestry Aytunç Nane, for his part, assessed that a balanced, measurable and guiding approach between environmental sensitivity and production needs should be strengthened in permit and easement processes.
In the assessments made by academic circles, it was stated that Türkiye has a far higher potential in terms of underground resources than is supposed, but that this potential has not been sufficiently explored and has not been converted into economic value. While it was pointed out that mining has historically been an activity that changed eras, it was emphasized that today critical minerals and rare earth elements are at the centre of global competition.
The sector representatives who took the floor at the meeting, for their part, shared examples from practice in the field and stated that the uncertainties in permit and inspection processes slow investments down and that high costs and legal risks reduce the appetite for investment. It was also stated that public perception of mining activities is largely based on incorrect information and that a more transparent and participatory approach to communication is needed in order to change this perception.
In the later part of the talks, while attention was drawn to the importance of carrying out mining activities in a manner compatible with the environment, it was assessed that treating environmental protection and production as concepts opposed to each other locks up the process. The participants reached a consensus that an approach based on scientific data and focused on rehabilitation and sustainability can protect both the environment and economic production.
In the second part of the meeting, general frameworks for the solution of the problems raised were discussed. In this context, proposals came to the fore for simplifying permit processes, strengthening inter-institutional coordination, creating a long-term mining strategy above politics, developing mechanisms that will provide assurance to investors and strengthening the financial infrastructure of the sector.
In the general assessment made at the end of the meeting, it was emphasized that mining is a strategic sector for Türkiye and that structural steps must be taken in this area without losing time. The participants expressed the view that making such consultation platforms regular would make an important contribution to strengthening cooperation between the public sector, the private sector and academia.
