fighting for a rosy future
rosia montana gold mine in
romania
“For well over two years we have
been confronted on a daily basis with a
psychological war to make way for the
project. Today marks an important victory
in our struggle to keep our land for our
children. We are overjoyed and congratulate
the IFC for its decision. We hope that
other financial institutions and banks will
follow suit and pull out or refrain from
investing in this speculative, unprofitable
and unsustainable project that will only
increase pollution, poverty and
corruption.”
Eugen David, president of
Alburnus Maior, the local community group
in Rosia Montana.
Romanian community
representatives handing drawings from
children in Rosia Montana to World Bank
President James Wolfensohn in 2002, leading
to the Bank’s decision not to fund the
project.
More pictures
In October 2002, the World Bank Group
announced that it would not finance the
controversial Rosia Montana gold mine
project in Romania's beautiful Apuseni
mountains. Local community members and
international campaigners alike rejoiced,
and proclaimed their hope that the World
Bank would steer clear of other such
environmentally and socially disruptive
projects in the future.
inauspicious
beginnings
The mine, which would be Europe's largest
open cast gold mining project, came under
fire from an international coalition of
NGOs based on flaws in the project proposal
and concerns about the corporate sponsor.
The Canada-based company Gabriel Resources
(registered in Barbados) approached the
World Bank Group for a loan rumored to be
around US$250 million. The company had no
previous mining experience, and its then
Corporate Executive Officer had been
convicted twice for drug trafficking. In
early 2002, the company had already
launched an aggressive relocation programme
without the completion of public hearings
or Environmental Impact Assessment
studies.
Despite the World Bank Group’s
withdrawal from the controversial project,
the company is determined to proceed with
the mine. The scheme being proposed by
Rosia Montana Gold Corporation (RMGC), a
joint venture between Gabriel Resources and
the Romanian government, is draconian. It
would be fifty times larger than the
existing pit, and since the metalbearing
rock lies beneath several settlements,
including the village of Rosia Montana, two
thousand people would be moved – by force
if necessary.
latest news
Stephanie Danielle Roth wins the
prestigious international
Goldman
Environmental Prize
- the
world's largest prize for grassroots
environmentalists for fighting to stop the
completion of Europe's largest open-cast
gold mine
Rosia Montana mining company admits controversial project may be too risky
more information:
Friends of the Earth International
press
release
Rosiamontana.org
:www.rosiamontana.org
Rosia Montana photo gallery:
www.sepsiszentgyorgy.info/galeria/kovacs_l_a
CEE Bankwatch Network:
www.bankwatch.org
Burying People for Profits, video, FoEI
(see back cover).
