Greenpeace Romania sues Ministry of Culture over Neptun Deep permits

Greenpeace Romania announced that it filed a lawsuit against the Ministry of Culture, challenging the permits issued for the offshore Neptun Deep gas project developed by OMV Petrom and Romgaz. The environmental group claims the ministry failed to follow legal procedures in declassifying an underwater archaeological site located within the project's area.

The entire continental platform of the Black Sea has been declared an underwater archaeological site of national importance, Greenpeace Romania reminded. This site includes, among others, remains from the Roman period, underwater remains from the Hellenistic period, from the Roman-Byzantine period, and from the Greek period.

Greenpeace Romania claims that the Neptun Deep project receives preferential treatment from the Romanian institutions, "threatening the cultural heritage and the Romanians' right to a clean environment and health."

The archaeological site in question, 'CT-I-s-A-02561', is situated on the Black Sea continental shelf and is believed to contain artifacts of significant historical value. Greenpeace Romania argues that these could be damaged or destroyed by the gas project.

The organisation has asked the court to suspend and annul the ministry's decision to strip the site of its historical monument status.

In a press release issued on October 21, Greenpeace Romania stated that a large portion of the documents used to approve the declassification – such as the discharge certificate and zonal commission's approval – are being withheld by the Ministry of Culture despite their relevance to the public interest.

Greenpeace contends that the Neptun Deep project has been given preferential treatment by Romanian institutions, posing a threat to cultural heritage, as well as the environment and public health.

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