The Minister for Climate and Environment, Paulina Hennig-Kloska, has established the Earth Resource Management Council (RGZZ). It was headed by prof. dr hab. Krzysztof Szamałek, Director of the Polish Geological Institute-NRI. The creation of the Council was announced by the Chief National Geologist prof. dr hab. Krzysztof Galos during a recent meeting with PGI-NRI staff.

The main task of the Earth Resources Management Council will be to support the Minister in carrying out the tasks assigned to the Chief National Geologist. This is to be carried out by preparing opinions, analyses, proposals and conclusions on:

1. revision of the National Raw Materials Policy, including ensuring the correlation of this document with the activities and regulations concerning raw materials policy at the European Union level;
2. legal acts relating to geology and rock mass management, including: assumptions for the amendment of the current Act - Geological and Mining Law and assumptions for a new legal act regulating activities in the rock mass;
3. assumptions and directions of the multi-annual work plans of the state geological survey;
4. directions for the development of international cooperation in the geological and raw materials field;
5. planned measures for the sustainable development of the use of the rock mass for the storage and disposal of substances;
6. the development of geology and raw materials education.

In addition to the director, the RGZZ included other staff members of the Institute:

• dr Olimpia Kozłowska - deputy director for the geological survey of PGI-NRI, expert on the activities of the geological survey and geological and raw material education,
• dr Janusz Jureczka - Director of the Upper Silesian Branch of PGI-NRI in Sosnowiec, expert on the activities of the geological surveys and the state's raw materials policy,
• dr Sławomir Mazurek - Head of the Raw Materials Policy Laboratory at the Department of Compositional and Economic Geology, PGI-NRI, expert on the activities of the geological surveys and the state's raw materials policy,
• dr hab. Stanisław Wołkowicz - pofessor at PIG-NRI, expert in international cooperation in the field of geology and raw materials, state raw materials policy and activities of the geological survey.

The Earth Resources Management Council will begin its work once the Minister of Climate and Environment has approved the timetable for action.

Text: Artur Baranowski