Romanian Govt. funds urban plan to help with Roşia Montană's inclusion on UNESCO heritage list

The Public Works, Development and Administration Ministry (MLPDA) announced it would finance the drafting of the general urban plan (PUG) at Roşia Montană, to serve for the site’s inclusion on the UNESCO heritage list.

The announcement came as MLPDA approved the 2020 financing for the drafting or update of general urban plans or local urban regulations (RLU) for county and local councils.

The ministry received financing requests from 39 county councils for 957 localities that purchased services to have PUG documents drafted.

Besides these, the Culture Ministry requested support for the drafting of the PUG for Roşia Montană, in Alba county, “to support the inclusion of the Cultural Mining Landscape in the locality on the UNESCO World Heritage list.”

The registration procedure already started and having updated PUG documents is an essential condition to having the request accepted,” minister Ion Ştefan said.

This February, culture minister Bogdan Gheorghiu said the authorities had every reason to be optimistic about the inclusion of Roşia Montană on the UNESCO heritage list this summer, News.ro reported.

Romania sent the file for the inclusion of Roșia Montană in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2017. In 2018, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) recommended its inclusion on the list. The same year, the World Heritage Committee has decided to defer the inclusion of the Roșia Montană mining site on the UNESCO World Heritage List after Romania requested it. Romania’s government requested “the deferral not the withdrawal of the file” until the lawsuit the country has with the Canadian mining company Gabriel Resources was settled.

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