BRUSSELS

Poland launched a major nationwide initiative to explore for critical mineral resources such as copper and lithium, aiming to tap into the country's underexplored geological potential, local outlet TVP World reported on Friday.

According to the broadcaster, Poland, already one of Europe's top copper producers thanks to vast deposits in the southern region of Lower Silesia, is now expanding its focus to include a broader range of strategic materials vital for economic and technological development.

The Polish Climate and Environment Ministry submitted a proposal to establish a Multiannual National Program for the Exploration of Critical Raw Materials. The program falls under the framework of the European Critical Raw Materials Act, a regulation adopted by the EU to strengthen the bloc's access to essential raw materials and reduce dependency on foreign suppliers.

“One of our priorities is to increase access to critical raw materials for economic development,” Climate and Environment Minister Paulina Hennig-Kloska told local media, adding that the strategy would begin with the government's adoption of the program and be revised in coordination with the European Commission.

Under the initiative, a Center for Raw Materials Analysis will be created to support geological assessments.

Preliminary studies have already begun to identify potential exploration sites. The government has categorized priority minerals into three tiers, with top-priority resources including copper, graphite, fluorspar, feldspar, helium, and platinum-group metals.