Minister says Romania to take time on Canadian gold mine

Romania's new environment minister said Wednesday that prudence is needed during the review of a planned Canadian-owned gold mine and the process to issue a key permit cannot move faster.

"The procedures (to decide on a key environment permit) cannot be accelerated. They have a set rhythm and experts have to deal with various issues. We cannot do more", the minister, Attila Korodi, told RFI Romania radio.

"In any case, bearing in mind the importance of the project, we have to be extremely prudent", he added.

Romanian President Traian Basescu, a staunch supporter of the Canadian project, on Tuesday pressed the environment minister to take a rapid decision on the gold mine in the northwestern Transylvanian village of Rosia Montana.

The Alburnus Maior NGO which represents inhabitants opposed to the mine criticised Basescu putting pressure on the environment minister, saying they "encourage serious violations" of the permit review process.

In 1999, the Rosia Montana Gold Corporation (RMGC), which is 80 percent held by Canadian firm Gabriel Resources (and 20 percent by the Romanian state), acquired a mining licence from the Romanian government.

The firm plans to use around 12,000 tonnes of cyanide a year to extract 300 tonnes of gold in the village of Rosia Montana, thought to hold Europe's largest single deposit.

It promises to invest $1.7 billion (1.2 billion euros) and says the mine will respect all European standards on environmental protection.

RMGC has been striving for years to get the permits for a mine opposed by major environment NGOs (Greenpeace, WWF...), archeologists, historians and the Romanian Academy, one of the highest scientific bodies in the country.

Last week, a Romanian court invalidated a key zoning permit.

Opponents claim the ruling sent the company back to square one in the permit process. But RMGC claims to hold an earlier "valid and legal" permit.