The Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union will sponsor a high-level industrial gathering in Larnaca on May 28, 2026, to address the strategic role of raw materials in securing continental resilience.

The half-day summit, officially titled ‘Entrepreneurs’ Forum: Why Do We Need Minerals?’, will run from 09:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at the Sun Hall Hotel located on 6 Athens Avenue.

Organisers designed the event to demonstrate that understanding why minerals matter effectively means understanding the foundations of Europe’s future.

The international forum is being jointly organised by Aggregates Europe, Eurogypsum, Euromines, the Greek Mining Enterprises Association, and the Cyprus Quarries Association.

Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Maria Panayiotou will deliver the opening welcome address to launch the technical sessions.

An initial presentation regarding minerals for a modern life will feature insights from Aggregates Europe president Antonis Antoniou Latouros alongside Project Blue industrial and critical minerals expert Alison Saxby.

Hellenic Survey of Geology and Mineral Exploration and Energy general manager Dionysios Gkoutis will also share perspectives from Greece during the opening sequence.

European Commission Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs deputy director general Maive Rute will then present the overarching European perspective on raw materials.

Directorate General for the Environment permanent secretary Costas Costantinou is slated to outline the specific Cypriot perspective before the mid-morning coffee break.

Following the interval, a panel moderated by Dirk Fincke and Tristan Suffys will invite the audience to ask the experts how to best manage raw materials and mitigate supply risks.

This interactive debate will bring together Bank of Cyprus chief economist Nektarios Michail, EIT Raw Materials chief executive officer and managing director Bernd Schäfer, and International Union for Conservation of Nature European regional office director Boris Erg.

A final session moderated by Rolf Kuby will focus on the way ahead for European resilience, highlighting key takeaways from various leaders of the raw materials industries.

The closing panel will feature insights from Euromines president emeritus Mark Rachovides and Knauf Region Central Europe group management committee member and Eurogypsum vice-president Christoph Dorn.

Greek Mining Enterprises Association president Kostas Yazitzoglou will simultaneously provide concluding remarks to wrap up the strategic deliberations.

Interested participants can currently secure their places online by visiting the official Eventbrite registration link provided by the industrial partners.