Open Letter
18 February 2008
Dear Mr. Minister
Some of the undersigned wrote to you already back in autumn 2007, when the Ministry for the Environment and Sustainable Development took the decision to suspend the EIA procedure for the Rosia Montana mine proposal, based on a series of well-founded reasons. We welcomed this decision, because it is generally unusual that politicians apply the law, especially when it rules against corporate pressures and political interests.
It came to our knowledge that Rosia Montana Gold Corporation, the Rosia Montana project owner, opened a court action against the decision to suspend the EIA procedure, both against the Ministry and against you and State Secretary Mr. Silviu Stoica personally. We would herewith like to assure you of our full support in this action that we consider an attempt to intimidate and a sign of desperation from the part of RMGC.
We would like to inform you that the undersigned non-governmental organizations will formulate requests to intervene in the case registered at the Bucharest Court of Appeal. The intervention requests will aim at supporting the Ministry’s decision to suspend the procedure to issue an environmental accord for the Rosia Montana mine proposal.
We consider that by suspending the procedure to issue the environmental accord the Ministry correctly applied the legislation on the
authorization of construction works, legislation in the field of evaluating the impact on the environmental of private and public projects and legislation for issuing an environmental accord. The applicable EIA procedure in Romania (which transposes
European Directives) stipulates the obligation to have an available urbanistic certificate in order to carry out any kind of authorization procedure for a project, including the procedure to obtain an environmental accord. In the Rosia Montana case, given the fact that RMGC’s urbanistic certificates no 68/2004, 78/2006 and 105/2007 were suspended via court verdicts and de iure, the EIA procedure for the mine proposal could not continue. The Ministry acted in consideration of the principles of legality, precaution and prevention and in order to protect the citizen’s
right to a clean and ecologically balanced environment.
The undersigned organizations and foundations whose aim is to defend the environment and the cultural patrimony have the interest and the quality to intervene in this case in order to support the Ministry’s decision to suspend the Rosia Montana EIA procedure. We consider that RMGC can not obtain a court sentence from the Bucharest Court of Appeal obliging the Ministry to restart the above-mentioned licensing procedure especially because the effects of the Alba Iulia Court of Appeal’s recent decision (case no. 1411/107/2007) concerning the illegality of Rosia Montana’s urbanistic plans oblige the Ministry to return to RMGC the entire environmental impact assessment (EIA) documentation as well as the request to obtain an environmental accord. Last but not least, the verdict taken by the Cluj-Napoca Tribunal in case no. 1245/117/2007 irrevocably annuls urbanistic certificate no. 78/2006 issued by the Alba County Council to RMGC.
We also consider that RMGC’s parallel calls into justice of you personally and State Secretary Silviu Stoica are unjustified, because RMGC can not claim and prove the prejudice caused to it by the Ministry’s decision to suspend the procedure and for which it wishes to hold you personally responsible. Even in the absence of the ministry’s decision to suspend the environmental licensing procedure, RMGC could
not have obtained an environmental accord by now. This is easily proven because the documentation submitted by RMGC during the EIA procedure suffered from numerous additional deficiencies which would have made it impossible for the competent authority to issue an environmental accord. To give but one example, even to date RMGC does not have an approved Modified Urbanistic Zoning Plan for
the Rosia Montana Industrial Development Area. Such a plan needs to undergo a strategic environmental impact assessment procedure (under the European Union’s SEA procedure). According to the provisions of Law 350/2001 on territorial planning and urbanism (article 32, point 1), Law 50/1991 on the authorization of construction works (article 7) and Ministerial Order 117/2006 issued for the application of
Governmental Decision HG 1076/2004 on the environmental impact assessment for plans and programs (paragraph 3.12, point 1), in the absence of such documentation the authority can not legally issue the environmental accord.
Last but not least, we would like to assure you, Mr. Minister that we will continue to use all civic and legal means at our disposal for the Rosia Montana licensing procedures to comply with all relevant legislation.
Yours sincerely,
Strawberry Net Foundation
Bako Mihaly, President
Sfantu Gheorghe
OP 1, CP 24, Jud. Covasna, Tel/Fax: +40 (0) 267-312-238, Email: misi@sbnet.ro, www.ngo.ro
“Salvati Dunarea si Delta - Academia Catavencu” Association
Liviu Mihaiu, President
Bucuresti
Str Suvenir, nr 8, sector 2; Tel.: +40 211 89 12; Fax: +40 211 89 13; E-mail: office@salvatidelta.ro
www.salvatidelta.ro
Terra Mileniul III Foundation
Lavinia Andrei, President
Bucuresti
Bd. Marasesti nr. 86, ap. 1, Sector 4, 040256, Telefon: +4 021 314 12 27, Fax:+4 021 30 10 333
E-mail: office@terraiii.ngo.ro, http://www.terraiii.ngo.ro/
Sun Valley Association
Dipl. ing. Dan Calin Tocaciu, President
Targu-Mures
540506, B-dul Pandurilor Nr. 43, Ap. 16; Judetul Mures; Tel/Fax: +40 (0) 365 401378
Email: valeasoarelui@valeasoarelui.tk
www.valeasoarelui.tk
Ecologist and Mountain Touring Club ALBAMONT
Vasile Moisa, Presedinte
Alba Iulia
Str. Nicolae Titulescu, Nr. 28, 510096; Jud. Alba; Tel./Fax: +40 258 813947; E-mail: office@albamont.ro
www.albamont.ro
Transylvania Trust Foundation
Iren Bede
Cluj-Napoca
400110, Str. Breaza 14/A, OP 1. CP 379, Tel/Fax: +40-264-439 858, E-mail:office@transylvaniatrust.ro
http://www.transylvaniatrust.ro/
Ecological Association ‘Floarea de Colt’
Korosfoy Sandor, Executive Director
Cluj-Napoca;OP 1, CP 1110;Tel: +40 264 310105;Fax: +40 364 815209
E-mail: aefc@ngo.ro,www.aefc.org
Eco-Counselling Center Galati
Prof. Petruta Moisi, President
Galati
800201, Strada Basarabiei nr.2, Tel: +40 236 499957; Fax:+40 236 312 331
E-mail: eco@cceg.ro, www.cceg.ro
ARIN Association
Codruta Nedelcu, Executive Director
Braila
Aleea Cinematografului 2; Bl. H3, Sc. 2, Ap. 27; Braila 810271; Jud. Braila; Tel: +40 (0) 740.026091
E-mail: arininfo@gmail.com; www.arin.ro
Green Transylvania Association
Csongor Kovács, President
Cluj-Napoca
400750, OP 1, CP 1154, Tel. 0744-603930, Fax: 0264-450230, e-mail: office@greentransylvania.ro
’Ținutul Secuiesc Verde’ Association
Csonta László, President
Miercurea-Ciuc
str. Zold Peter nr. 11, Jud. HR, 530110, laci@zoldszekely.ro, tel: 0742-125368
Romanian Association for Bats’ Protection
Szodoray-Paradi Farkas, President
Satu Mare
440014, str. Ion Budai Deleanu, nr. 2, tel/fax: 0261 711 395, e-mail: office@aplr.ro, www.aplr.ro
Societatea Carpatina Ardeleana - Satu Mare
Janos Mark-Nagy, Executive Director
Satu Mare
440012, str. Aurel Popp nr. 14, tel/fax 0040-261-711050, e-mail: eke@xnet.ro
Focus Eco Center
Hajdu Zoltán, General Coordinator
Targu Mures
str Crinului 22, cod postal: 540343, OP 1, CP 620, tel/fax: 0265/262.170 rdstel: 0365/803.631 mobil:
0744/774.897, Email: info@focuseco.ro
Association for Tourism and Ecology Trascau Corp
Adrian Puiulet, President
Zlatna
Str. Marasesti Nr.1, Bl.6, Sc. A, Ap.1, Cod 516100, Jud. Alba, tel. 0745-306805,0788-192128 Fax.
0358-814282, e-mail: trascaucorp@hotmail.com
ECOTOP Oradea
Eleonora Mircescu, Vice-President
Oradea
Piața Independenței nr 39, Cetatea Oradea, corp I Parter, CP 151, OP 1, 410067 Oradea, Tel. 0359-
425590, 0359-425591, Tel/Fax: 0259-441681, e-mail. ecotop@rdslink.ro, web: www.ecotoporadea.ro
HALIT ECO CLUB
Serenyi Ioan, Vice-President
Praid
537240 PRAID 421, e-mail : halit@pzs.ro, telefon : 0742-380315, fax : 0266-240433
