Romanian politicians blame each other for expected fines in Rosia Montana gold mining case

Romanian prime minister Marcel Ciolacu promised full transparency regarding the Rosia Montana gold mining project that ended in litigation that might cost the country’s budget billions of dollars.

He reportedly pointed to former prime minister and co-president of USR PLUS party Dacian Ciolos “and those who generated the Rosia Montana scandal” as the main responsible, according to Digi24 quoting sources close to the discussions in the government meeting of January 31 when the possibility of major fines was tabled.

During the term of PM Ciolos, Romania’s government filed a request to place the Rosia Montana site under UNESCO protection after USR PLUS massively advocated against the gold mining project.

In turn, Dacian Ciolos, currently MEP and head of his political vehicle REPER, points to former prime minister Victor Ponta – presently an advisor to PM Marcel Ciolacu – for signing documents that allowed Gabriel Resources (the operator of the gold mining project) to later sue Romania at the World Bank’s arbitration court ICSID.

Gabriel Resources was denied the environmental permit necessary for beginning the project. Instead, the project was promoted under a special law - that was also rejected by lawmakers.

It is unclear whether placing the site under UNESCO protection is relevant for the fate of the project (already dismissed at that time), but it was used by Gabriel Resources as an argument to prove Romania’s bad faith, in the ICSID litigation.

(Photo source: Gov.ro)