7/27/2019 PowerPoint Presentation - Fighting over gold in the land of Dracula

1/15

Fighting over gold in the land ofDracula

Rosia Montana(the answer is NO)

7/27/2019 PowerPoint Presentation - Fighting over gold in the land of Dracula

2/15

Overview

Rosia Montana- where?Small village located in Transilvania Alburnus Maior the capital of Roman Dacia

Massive ancient heritage since the times of Emperor Trajan => 50 wax tabletsdiscovered in the Roman galleries, from which only 25 have survived.

home to Greek Catholic Church of Simon Balin

The plan of the Rosia Montana GoldCorporation:to dig up the estimated 314 tons of gold squirreled away in Rosia Montana using anastonishing amount of 40 tons of cyanide per day.

At what price?-the sacrifice of four forested mountains, multiple rivers and several fragileecosystems .

2000 people removed

900 homes demolished

historical buildings, ancient churches, cemeteries

7/27/2019 PowerPoint Presentation - Fighting over gold in the land of Dracula

3/15

Why not?-arguments in favour of gold mining in Rosia Montana-

The allure:

-the struggle to develop impoverishedcommunities that need jobs.- Experienced professionals, many of

them highly experienced from cuttingtheir teeth building the BarrickGold Corporation, the largest goldmining company in the world

- providing work for the severely poor

community - financing schooling for underpriviledged

children- community sponsorships to win over

960 Rosia Montana families the RosiaMontana Gold Corporation

http://www.nytimes.com/mem/MWredirect.html?MW=http://custom.marketwatch.com/custom/nyt-com/html-companyprofile.asp&symb=ABXhttp://www.nytimes.com/mem/MWredirect.html?MW=http://custom.marketwatch.com/custom/nyt-com/html-companyprofile.asp&symb=ABXhttp://www.nytimes.com/mem/MWredirect.html?MW=http://custom.marketwatch.com/custom/nyt-com/html-companyprofile.asp&symb=ABXhttp://www.nytimes.com/mem/MWredirect.html?MW=http://custom.marketwatch.com/custom/nyt-com/html-companyprofile.asp&symb=ABX

7/27/2019 PowerPoint Presentation - Fighting over gold in the land of Dracula

4/15

However

1. 2800 working places, now reduced to 900

2. Length of employment for those in need- temporary. Damages-indefinite length

3. DESTRUCTION OF HISTORICAL ARTEFACTS AND BUILDINGS-UNESCO PATRIMONY

4. We need the gold ourselves- Romania in habit of losing it

5. European parliament has expressed grave concern regardingthe use of cyanide at Rosia Montana

6. Such a project in Australia, Canada, The USA never approved

7. Danube Delta in danger

8. The consequence of cyanide use shouldnt be foreign to any

Romanian.

BAIA MARE:

120 milion damages to be payed to Hungary from a country whichreally cannot afford stupidity.

7/27/2019 PowerPoint Presentation - Fighting over gold in the land of Dracula

5/15

SCRIE CEVA AICI

7/27/2019 PowerPoint Presentation - Fighting over gold in the land of Dracula

6/15

FurthermoRE It is highly doubtful whether the money will reach Romanias budget, because themajority of share holders are involved in off-shore companies, which dont pay taxes

Seeing as Rosia Montana was declared to be a deprived area the RMGC isconveniently exempt from taxes for 10 years, according to Romanian law

The Dean of the Economical Studies Academy of Bucharest estimates that the first

profit will reach Romania within 12 years since the beginning of the project The company attempted to get a $100 million loan from the World Bank in 2002,

however the loan was canceled at the personal intervention of World Bank presidentJames Wolfensohn

Social impact resembling the one which occurred at Baia Mare

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Bankhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Wolfensohnhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Wolfensohnhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Wolfensohnhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Bank

7/27/2019 PowerPoint Presentation - Fighting over gold in the land of Dracula

7/15

The first Glimpse ofinitiative against

I was born here, so why should Ileave? said Gabriela Jorka, 38, whoruns a small general store in RosiaMontana. Id rather kill myself.

7/27/2019 PowerPoint Presentation - Fighting over gold in the land of Dracula

8/15

National and Internationalopposition builds

Possible allies in opposing the exploitation:

The Romanian Academy Open Society Institute of George Soros

Teddy Goldsmith, the aging anti-globalistenvironmentalist and scion of a wealthybusiness family.

Prince Charles of Britain

Swiss-born environmental journalist namedStephanie Roth

40 non-governmental organizations withRomanian operations, including

Greenpeace in 2005, the company had an international

coalition of nongovernmentalorganizations arrayed against it.

Vanessa Redgrave speech at Transylvaniafilm festival-memorable

When guys in S.U.V.s

with bags full of cashshow up in a poorlocality in Romania,they can really makethe law there, saidRadu Motoc, project

director of the OpenSociety Foundation-Romania.

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/g/greenpeace/index.html?inline=nyt-orghttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/g/greenpeace/index.html?inline=nyt-org

7/27/2019 PowerPoint Presentation - Fighting over gold in the land of Dracula

9/15

ABOUT(above)THE LAW

The draft law-rejected ascompletely unconstitutional by theRomanian Ministry of Justice-

a kneeling of the Romanian

state in front of the Canadiancompany, by conferring itpowers above the law.

-Radu Muresan

7/27/2019 PowerPoint Presentation - Fighting over gold in the land of Dracula

10/15

corruption

Lack of media coverage of the protests is countered through socialmedia such as Facebook and Twitter

Major television channels, such as Antena1, Prima TV andthe public channel RomaniaTV, did not show any newsconcerning the protests throughout their entire first day.

some agencies tried to downplay the size andimportance of the protests.

Deutsche Welle editorial said that the project "practiced briberythrough professional and systematic processes

The "Alliance for a Clean Romania", an ONG that fights corruptionin Romania called for the project to be canceled due to the "non-transparent manner"

While in opposition, Social-Democratic leader Victor Ponta opposedthe project claiming that the Roia Montan Project stalled because

"not all politicians can be bought like President Bsescu".On theother side of the political spectrum, Democratic-Liberal MPTheodor Palelogu claimed to oppose the project due to "thecorruption politicians of journalists"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Pontahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Theodor_Palelogu&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Theodor_Palelogu&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Theodor_Palelogu&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Theodor_Palelogu&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Ponta

7/27/2019 PowerPoint Presentation - Fighting over gold in the land of Dracula

11/15

Summer, TheRomanian

AutumnAfter the government of prime minister Victor Ponta, with a boldnessusually reserved for dictatorships, drafted the law that would essentiallymake the Romanian government an ally of the private open pit miningcompany Rosia Montana Gold Corporation, thousands of Romanianshave taken to the street in a series of protest so vast that one couldrightfully call it the The Romanian Autumn , trying to put an end to the

intention of destroying a community which for over 2 millenia hasrepresented the birthplace of the people- the first capital of Dacia, atrully significant area in the heart of the country.

These protests bring together, naturally, people from a wide range ofbackgrounds, from environmentalists to professionals to families withsmall children, who demonstrate against the latest act of selfaggrandizement of a government which appears to be out of control.

Romanians see in Rosia Montana a rallying cry that goes beyond the

borders of the historic mountain village. Everything goes back to theinfamous corruption of Romanian politicians.

All-in all , I believe Rosia Montana situation to be a story heard all toooften by the people of countries some of which are neighbours, such asBulgaria, which have watched others grow comfortable with capitalismwhile in their own country, remnants of the old regime, disguised asdemocracy, steal, as before, the wealth of the country.

'I hope that RosiaMontana is

protected and savedfrom thisdevastating project.I hope my storygives voices to theplight of the

hundreds ofthousands ofRomanians that arestill on the streets ofBucharestdemanding that

their government

7/27/2019 PowerPoint Presentation - Fighting over gold in the land of Dracula

12/15

As for now

7/27/2019 PowerPoint Presentation - Fighting over gold in the land of Dracula

13/15

As forthen

We help the biodiversity; we

help the environment - YaniRoditis, Gabriel Resourceschief operating officer.

7/27/2019 PowerPoint Presentation - Fighting over gold in the land of Dracula

14/15

Bibliography For further reading- articles of Craig S. Smith

7/27/2019 PowerPoint Presentation - Fighting over gold in the land of Dracula

15/15

All that glitters isnt gold