In August, the German Federation of International Mining and Mineral Resources (FAB), Berlin/Germany, and the Chilean Mining Association (SONAMI) agreed to step up their cooperation and signed a joint cooperation agreement accordingly. The purpose of this cooperation is to provide mutual access to the services of each institution and generate a continuous exchange of information. This should encourage cooperation between the member organisations of both institutions and contribute towards developing stronger business operations between both countries in the mining and services sector.
The raw materials sector is of considerably greater importance to Chile than to Germany and contributes significantly towards the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). Germany relies on importing raw materials from Chile, primarily metals that are used in the German processing industry. The current drop in prices in the raw materials markets in Chile has created the need to increase the productivity and efficiency of raw materials projects. The technology, services and experience in mining and recovering raw materials available in Germany could contribute towards making raw materials recovery in Chile as environmentally friendly and sustainable as possible in future. (FAB)
