Romanians rally on second day of protests against Rosia Montana gold project

Around 1,000 protesters took over the street in downtown Bucharest yesterday (September 2) in the second day of demonstrations against the Rosia Montana gold mining project. Although with fewer people than in the first evening of protests, when between 4,000 and 7,000 people were reported on the street, the group blocked the Regina Maria boulevard for about six hours, until 4 AM. No incidents were recorded during this period. Protesters chanted slogans against the gold mining project, the Government and the president, saying a definitive 'no' to cyanide, which is likely to be used in the gold mining process. The protests started on Sunday evening, when several thousands people rallied in downtown Bucharest and in other Romanian cities against the gold mine. The protests came as the Government recently approved the law allowing Rosia Montana Gold Corporation to exploit gold in central Romania. Gold exploitation at Rosia Montana is expected to begin in November 2016, as the area’s urban plan should be approved by end-2013. The state's participation in the venture should increase by 5.69 percent, to 25 percent of the shares, if all permits are issued on time. To begin exploiting the site, the investor will have to pay the Romanian Government a royalty of 6 percent of the production’s value, according to a draft of the Agreement between the Government, Gabriel Resources and Rosia Montana Gold Corporation (RMGC). The Rosia Montana gold mining project, which has been widely opposed in Romania, has been blocked for several years because of environmental protection disputes. Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta recently said that as an MP he would vote against the bill related to the mining project, however as PM, he can’t give a negative vote as he needs to attract new investments to Romania. Opposed by NGOs, the project has been lobbied for by politicians including by Romania’s president Traian Basescu, who has argued the gold mine would bring revenues to the state budget and much needed jobs. The Rosia Montana site in Alba county is evaluated at containing some 300 tonnes of gold and 1,600 tonnes of silver and has been under concession to Roşia Montană Gold Corporation for exploitation. The Rosia Montana Gold Corporation company is controlled by the Canadian firm Gabriel Resources, which owns 80.7 percent of its shares. According to the media, behind Gabriel Resources are billionaires such as John Paulson, Beny Steinmetz and Thomas Kaplan. editor@romania-insider.com