2022 | 75/Special Issue | 289 | www.geologia-croatica.hr Journal of the Croatian Geological Survey and the Croatian Geological Society Dear readers, Primary and secondary mineral resources are of strategic importance to the EU economy. The EU has recognized the im- portance of securing access to mineral resources in the future, meeting the needs of European industry, preserving jobs and en- suring further development. This special issue is dedicated to the mineral potential of South-eastern Europe, more specifically the Adria region (including the countries of Albania, Bosnia and Her- zegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia), which corresponds to the Dinarides, the northwesternmost Hel- lenides, and the Vardar zone and has a long history of mining. The five papers, which focus on primary and secondary mine ral resources, are the result of the work of a large team involved in the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)-funded project rESEErve – Mineral potential of the Eastern and South-Eastern Europe region. Mineral potential mapping led to the Western Balkans Mine- ral Register (publicly available data), which enabled the integra- tion of the region into a pan-European mineral information net- work and brought it closer to the common mineral market. Primary raw materials data refers to active, abandoned and closed mines that could be of interest for further exploration / exploita- tion, as well as prospective greenfield sites. The secondary raw material data include information on mine waste sites (including mining, processing and metallurgical wastes). BOROJEVIĆ ŠOŠTARIĆ et al. (2022) assessed the main strengths and challenges of the mineral sector in the Adria region. They present the status of mineral exploration and exploitation, provide a SWOT and Gap analysis, and developed the roadmap for the necessary actions to promote investments in the mineral sector in the Adria region. The potential for discovery and exploitation of primary and secondary mineral resources in Montenegro is demonstrated by RADUSINOVIĆ et al. (2022), who present the main metallic mineral resources (bauxite, lead and zinc), abundant non-metal- lic mineral resources (industrial minerals and construction ma- terials) and secondary mineral resources (in particular, alumi- nous red mud and Pb and Zn operational and abandoned mine tailings, bottom and fly ash from thermal power plants, slag from steel production, and marlstone and limestone from hanging walls of coal deposits) and waste rock for aggregate production. SERAFIMOVSKI et al. (2022) present an overview and synthesis of several important polymetallic mineral deposits un- der exploitation in the Republic of Northern Macedonia (copper mine Buchim, lead-zinc mines Sasa, Zletovo and Toranica) as well as new exploration targets (Plavica, Ilovica, Kadiica, Borov Dol). The authors demonstrate the significant polymetallic ore potential in the Republic of Northern Macedonia. STEINER et al. (2022) have produced a basic characteriza- tion of selected tailings of active and abandoned mines in Serbia (Bor, porphyry Cu/Au; Krivelj, porphyry Cu/Au; Blagodat, hy- drothermal Pb-Zn; Lece, epithermal Au; Rudnik, hydrothermal/ skarn Pb-Zn) and North Macedonia (Sasa, Pb-Zn; Probištip, Pb- Zn; Bučim, porphyry Cu; Lojane, fault-bound vein-type low-tem- perature As, Sb, Cr at the contact of rhyolite and serpentinite). Primary and secondary resources of the Dinarides-Hellenides doi: 10.4154/gc.2022.28 They demonstrate the grades of valuable metals that could be re- covered to fund potential remediation work and improve the sup- ply of critical metals to the EU. VELOJIĆ et al. (2022) discuss the significance of trace el- ement analysis from various types of mineralization in the Čukaru Peki deposit, a recently discovered porphyry high-sul- fidation Cu-Au deposit from Eastern Serbia. The trace elements study indicates a change in pyrite compositions from porphyry- style mineralization having a magmatic signature to later high- sulfidation mineralization. The manuscripts presented demonstrate the significant po- tential in primary and secondary resources in the ADRIA region. Large reserves of primary commodities, significant secondary potential as a result of decades of mining/metallurgical activities, and numerous active exploration targets including new commodi- ties such as lithium and boron, place the ADRIA region high on the map of EU strategically important areas. However, additional work needs to be done to develop full mineral resource capacity. This includes detailed geological prospection and the standardi- zation of existing geological datasets as well as adjustment and harmonization of the exploration/mining legislation with special plans and education of the next generation of professionals cov- ering the mineral resources life cycle. Aside from trained profes- sionals, crucial partners in 21st-century mining are the local com- munities. Social acceptance of future mining operations no longer depends solely on the economic or strategic value of the discovered resources, but also the transparency and community inclusion, wider-society benefits, and sustainability of the pre- sented projects. Only projects with the highest environmental standards will gain social acceptance, therefore “Green Mining” is the new modus operandi of successful exploration and mining companies. REFERENCES BOROJEVIĆ ŠOŠTARIĆ, S., GIANNAKOPOULOU, S., ADAM, K. & MILEUSNIĆ, M. (2022): The future of mining in the Adria region: current status, SWOT and Gap analysis of the mineral sector.– Geol. Croat., 75/Special Issue. doi: 10.4154/ gc.2022.26 RADUSINOVIĆ, S., ŠAJN, R., JOVANOVIĆ, B., ROKAVEC, D., HRIBERNIK, K., ABRAMOVIĆ, V., DRAKSLER, M., DANILOVIĆ, I. & JOVANOVIĆ, M. (2022): The primary and secondary mineral resources of Montenegro and their mapping into European data model.– Geol. Croat., 75/Special Issue. doi: 10.4154/ gc.2022.20 SERAFIMOVSKI, S., TASEV, G., STAFILOV, T. (2022) General features of some pol- lymetallic ore deposits in the Republic North Macedonia.– Geol. Croat., 75/Special Issue. doi: 10.4154/gc.2022.27 STEINER, T.M.C., BERTRANDSSON ERLANDSSON, V., ŠAJN, R. & MELCHER, F. (2022): Preliminary chemical and mineralogical characterization of tailing ma- terials from base metal sulfide deposits in Serbia and North Macedonia.– Geol. Croat., 75/Special Issue. doi: 10.4154/gc.2022.22 VELOJIĆ, M., BERTRANDSSON ERLANDSSON, V., MELCHER, F., ONUK, P., JELENKOVIĆ, R., CVETKOVIĆ, V. (2022): Trace elements in pyrite from the Čukaru Peki porphyry Cu–high-sulfidation deposit, Serbia: implications for ore evolution in a polyphase hydrothermal system.– Geol. Croat., 75/Special Issue. doi: 10.4154/gc.2022.25 Sibila Borojević Šoštarić, Guest Editor Marta Mileusnić, Guest Editor Lidija Galović, Editor-in-Chief