They have organised marches, demonstrations, intervened at the AGM of the Canadian company, Gabrial Resources, who is behind the venture. They succeeded in preventing the World Bank from financing it.
Campaigners are now asking for international help in preventing the company receiving the necessary Environmental licence, by contesting the project report that forms the basis of its application. According to Romanian law anyone can be a 'concerned person' regardless of where they live, and hence has the right to contest the report and be consulted! It takes a bit of writing, but most of the documents have been prepared in advance, only personal details need filled in and sent.
Please see the letter below, and the website: www.rosiamontana.org for more details.
(Tracey,Protect the Future)


ACT NOW! The Rosia Montana EIA:
Not on this basis and not in my name! ACT NOW!

University Square, Bucharest, Romania
/ where revolutions start /

Contestation by Alburnus Maior
in English

On December 14 2004, Rosia Montana Gold Corporation (RMGC) launched the procedure to obtain an environmental license for its Rosia Montana mining development by submitting the so-called Project Presentation Report (download on www.apm-alba.ro) to the regional Environmental Protection Agency in Alba Iulia.

The main normative act regulating the environmental impact assessment (EIA) procedure is Ministerial Order 860/2002 of the Ministry for Water and Environmental Protection. According to this order the environmental protection authorities should now, shortly after the receipt of the Project Presentation Report (PPR), start the so-called 'EIA scoping stage' meaning laying out and specifying what RMGC's main Environmental Impact Assessment report should contain.

For the environmental authorities to adequately specify what the EIA report should address, Annex I.2. of Ministerial Order 860/2002 thus lays out clear guidelines as to what the initial Project Presentation Report should contain. The document submitted by RMGC was not made accordingly and contains vague information and vital omissions. Given this 'Alburnus Maior' * yesterday submitted a detailed contestation to all relevant environmental authorities.

RMGC's PPR shows once again the company's conceit in its unwillingness to present an accurate image of its projects' true impact and cost upon people's health and the environment - this on a local and regional level but also in a tranboundary context.

It is thus of the utmost importance for Romanians and the international community to act to get the basics right for the Rosia Montana EIA procedure.

Being members of the concerned public any organization or individual can - as part of the EIA procedure - contest RMGCs PPR. According to Romanian legislation, one doesn't need territorial claims/competence.

'Alburnus Maior' has prepared a standard contestation in Romanian and English . All that needs doing is to carefully read the contestation, fill in the required details and sign at the bottom. Indicating a full contact details at the end of the document is optional.

The contestation has to reach a total of three authorities and all relevant contact details are listed in the document. Anyone contesting should ask for a registration number; either in the email message or by clicking a 'receipt on read'. In the event that the contestation is sent via fax, then the best option is to call each authority after transmission and ask for a registration number.

All NGOs that have registered as 'consulted parties' for the Rosia Montana EIA should submit a contestation (see www.apm-alba.ro). This can be done either in English or Romanian. For those NGO's which do not have time to write up such document, 'Alburnus Maior' has prepared a standard NGO contestation; both in Romanian and English . The procedure is the same as for the one for the concerned public. The standard NGO contestation is posted in "Word" and NGOs should feel free to amend as appropriate.

There is not much time left - so please act now! We also need your help in disseminating this announcement as widely as possible and even post it on your website.

There are things that just aren't for sale - Save Rosia Montana!

The Gabriel Resource Rebels