Română
The Mining Watch Romania network has issued a scathing request to the Ministry of Environment, demanding the immediate revocation of an “unprecedented administrative heist.” In a flagrant defiance of legal norms, the Hunedoara Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has granted environmental clearance for the Certej gold project urban plans, despite the operator lacking a valid legal mining permit.
In a maneuver calculated to subvert European transparency standards, the agency pushed the permit through on December 30, 2025. The choice of the penultimate working day of the year is a deliberate attempt to evade public scrutiny and present civil society with a fait accompli.
Environment Minister Diana Buzoianu is now facing intense pressure to explain how such a “toxic approval” was possible under her direct authority.
“We are witnessing an act of extreme administrative gravity,” stated Roxana Pencea-Brădățan, on behalf of the Mining Watch Romania network. “It is legally impossible to permit a mining project in the absence of a valid license. We demand immediate answers: how did an institution under the Minister’s jurisdiction commit such a blatant abuse in the dying hours of the year? How can one claim to be a champion of green policy while green-lighting environmental destruction of this magnitude, a move that even the most controversial of her predecessors did not dare to make?”
The exploitation license is currently the subject of a high-stakes legal battle at the Alba Iulia Court of Appeal. By issuing the permit before the court has reached a verdict, the EPA tries to “force the hand” of the judiciary and breathe life into a project that has failed for twenty years to meet basic ecological standards.
“The law is unequivocal: only a valid license holder can apply for environmental clearance. When an authority ignores such a fundamental legal prerequisite, we are no longer looking at a minor error, we are looking at a manifest abuse of power,” noted Mining Watch’s legal experts.
The Certej project, operated by Deva Gold SA, has undergone significant corporate reshuffling following the exit of Eldorado Gold, and is now primarily controlled by the Varvara Development Group (formaly knwon as O Rei Resources Corp) (TSX:VAR). For Mining Watch, the change in ownership does not change the chemistry: the project remains reliant on open pit mining that have been consistently rejected by the Romanian public.
“The exit of Eldorado Gold was a landmark victory for civil society, proving that Certej is a project with no future,” Pencea-Brădățan added. “Regardless of which investment fund attempts to revive this toxic legacy, our resistance remains absolute. In a functioning democracy, the right to a clean environment must always outweigh corporate profit-seeking through back-door deals.”
Mining Watch Romania Demands:
- The immediate resignation of the Hunedoara EPA leadership.
- The instant revocation of the illegal permit issued on December 30, 2025.
- A full public inquiry into the circumstances surrounding this decision.
- An investigation into potential conflicts of interest and political pressure exerted on civil servants.Notes to Editors:
Mining Watch Romania is the nation’s premier watchdog network monitoring mining activities. We provide technical and legal expertise to protect local communities and environmental integrity from irresponsible extractive projects.
