III: DEPENDENCE ON NON-FUEL MINERALS.

The main message of this paper is that there is no immediate cause for alarm about Europe's mineral supplies, but there is equally no room for complacency. The past reliance solely on market mechanisms is no longer sufficient to satisfy Europe's needs in the 1980s, even though present surpluses are more than adequate for the next few years. Unless action is taken soon serious problems will arise in the 1980s. Such action requires a more conscious mineral procurement policy in which foreign-policy initiatives should be closely integrated with domestic policies. Britain can achieve far more in this field acting in concert with its Community partners than by pursuing an independent strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]