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Environment Minister: No foot-dragging in Rosia Montana case, yet certain clarifications needed
One of the issues related to the prospective Rosia Montana gold mine (in the Apuseni Mts., country west) deals with the diversion of a river in the area for which the investor has the local authorities' approval, Minister of Environment and Forestry Laszlo Borbely told Agerpres on Wednesday.
'For the time being, one of the problems that need to be solved refers to the diversion of a local river (the Corna - Ed. note). The European Water Framework Directive was transposed into Romanian legislation too, but it does not clarify the technical aspects pertaining to a local or national government decision. A bill is currently in Parliament requiring for this aspect to be clarified. Parliament will break into the technical details of watercourse diversion the approval of which should fall under the responsibility of either the local council or the Government. In the case of Rosia Montana, after the bill is approved by Parliament, the expert committee will analyze the situation on site. The investor has a local approval to divert the river. We are currently looking into the matter, this is no foot-dragging, but these aspects need to be clarified,' Borbely said.
With regard to the protest staged on Wednesday by representatives of environmental organizations in front of the Ministry of Environment headquarters, Borbely said that he invited them to talks but was turned down.
Several dozens of representatives of environmental organizations Alburnus Maior, Terra Millenniul III, Ecopolis and Eco-Civica (according to the Gendarmerie there were around 60 of them) protested against the Rosia Montana mining project, demanding for the resignation of MMP Secretary of State and head of the Technical Analysis Committee Marin Anton over the statements he made at the public television channel about the Rosia Montana subject.