Romania's New Governing Program Includes Reassessment Of Rosia Montana Gold Mining Project

Romania's future governing program includes a reassessment of the Rosia Montana gold mining project in the western are of the country, based on local and international expertise, along with the creation of a national strategy for non-energetic mineral resources.

The Rosia Montana project has been included in the governing program forwarded to the Parliament for a confidence vote following negotiations between proposed Economy Minister Adriean Videanu and proposed Environment Minister Laszlo Borbely, people close to the talks said.

Asked whether the project was included din the governing program, Prime Minister-designate Emil Boc said the mining project will be reevaluated and then approved or rejected.

"It depends on the expertise we get, the local and international law-required expertise applicable to this type of project," Boc said.

The sources said the reassessment program was included under a chapter involving the drawing of a national strategy for the country's non-energetic mineral resources.

Videanu, who is the country's acting economy minister, said Friday the mining project at Rosia Montana would be included in the future governing program, adding he would like the project to start as soon as possible, with the current investor, Canada's Gabriel Resources.

"I want this project to start as soon as possible," Videanu said Friday.

Sources said the mining project was to be an issue for negotiation between Videanu, a democrat liberal, and the proposed environment minister, a member of the Hungarian minority party UDMR.

The gold mining project in Rosia Montana is highly controversial because of the environmental issues the investment would cause because it entails cyanide mining.

In 2008, when the country Environment Ministry was run by UDMR's Attila Korodi, his party insisted the Parliament debated with urgency a draft law banning cyanide mining in Romania.

mediafax.ro