Romania’s government said yesterday it has suspended a plan by a Canadian company to create a gold mine in the northwest of the country, saying it lacks the necessary documentation.
Gabriel Resources Ltd’s request for an urbanism certificate – which sets out what approvals will be needed to obtain planning permission –has been legally challenged by environmentalist groups and the Soros Foundation’s Open Society Institute, and there is an ongoing legal dispute.“The moment the company presents a legal urbanism certificate,” it can go ahead, said Environment Minister Attila Korodi.
Gabriel Resources CEO Alan R. Hill said the company was disappointed by the move and accused environmentalist groups of “abusing the Romanian court system by launching frivolous lawsuits... further evidence of their lack of respect for the rule of law in Romania.” The proposed gold mine in central Transylvania has been wracked by controversy for years.
The Hungarian government has voiced concerns because the mine would be 190 kilometers (120 miles) from its border and it fears the use of cyanide to extract gold ore could threaten the environment.
In 2000, a spill at a gold-mining company in Romania killed much of the aquatic life in the Tisza River, which also runs through Hungary and is a tributary of the Danube River.
Romanian Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu said last year the project would only happen if all international and European norms on environmental protection are respected.
(The Associated Press)