The Independent Centre for Development of Environmental Resources, Efectul Fluture Association (both part of the Mining Watch Romania network) and Vira Association filed numerous requests for information in 2013, asking for several clarifications regarding the NAMR activity in relation to the exploitation of gold or shale gas deposits in Romania. The requested information refered to the documentation needed for issuing mining permits in Hunedoara and Maramures counties, as well as information on ANRM’s project funded by the European Union under the title “Information campaign and public debate on shale gas”.
In each of these cases NAMR either did not respond or refused the publication of information due to malevolent attitude or the misinterpretation of the legislation. Therefore, the associations decided to appeal to court rulings to force NAMR to officialy respond. During the court case, NAMR always mentioned in their defense the Order 202/2003 by which all information required by the applicants was classified as “secret”. Although the Courts have repeatedly demanded NAMR to release the Order, the Agency refused. As the Order was never published in the Official Gazette, the Court stated that it can’t produce legal effects.
The Courts have therefore decided to order ANRM to provide the information requested, not recognizing NAMR claims that the management of the Romanian natural resources should be kept secret. It is exactly the NAMR secrecy that raises suspicions of favoring illegal mining companies; the Agency oversees their work and awards the mining permits and the leasing of exploration and exploitation rights. The license transfer in 1995 from the state owned company Minvest Deva to the private Gabriel Resources (owner of the Rosia Montana project and prior-owner of the Certej project) was also a secret one. Documents published by Rise Project on the mining license transfer denounce NAMR for its failure to manage resources in the interest of the state. The transfer documents were signed at the time by officials who were later found on the payroll of recipient companies and the gain registered by the Romanian Government was represented by the payment of a computer software and travel expenses of four employees of NAMR who visited Las Vegas and Rio de Janeiro.
The documents requested by the Efectul Fluture Association sought to verify the activity of Deva Gold, the company that Minvest Deva transferred its operating license to, for the mining perimeter of Certej, Hunedoara county. The Agency has been asked to supply the addenda of the license, the amount of reserves, contractual obligations of the licence holder, the mine closure plan, proof of the environmental securities and any documents authorizing the initiation of mining operations. ICDER requested information on mining areas in Maramures County: exploitation licenses for mining waste products held by Romaltyn Mining, together with documents that substantiate their release, proof of the environmental securities and the stage of the approval precedures. Vira Association requested information on the funding obtained for the project implemented by NAMR regarding public information on shale gas extraction by hydraulic fracturing: contract, budget along with information on the survey conducted by the institution whithin the project.
Mining Watch and Vira Association condemn the feudal attitude of NAMR that acts as an owner of deposits in Romania, while its role is to simply administrate public wealth. The lack of transparency in the activities of this institution can only fuel suspicions of continuous corruption at the highest level. Large areas of the country can be irreversibly damaged by open pit mining activities or hydraulic fracturing, therefore a greater transparency is required so that communities can assume conscious decisions in order to pursue an either sustainable or monoindustrial development model.
For further information please contact Roxana Pencea (Mining Watch) at 004 0723024300, email: contact@miningwatch.ro/mwatch or Vlad Catuna, at: 004 0754029180, email: vlad.catuna@vira.ro
* Mining Watch Romania is a monitoring network designed to optimize surveillance efforts, planning and intervention of civil society and local communities in what concerns mining activities in Romania. Mining Watch Romania analyzes the activities of the mining industry in Romania and carries out advocacy and communication activities meant to influence the behavior of both the industry and decision makers so that local communities in Romania will have a future set by conscious and aware decisions.
**Vira Association is a cultural, non-governmental, organization founded in Barlad, Romania. Starting with January 2012, Vira implements projects that aim to inform, encourage participation and civic responsibility in what concerns the exploration and exploitation of shale gas through hydraulic fracturing in Romania, especially in the Vaslui area.