The adoption of a bill by the Romanian government on measures to be introduced in connection with the gold and silver mining project in Roșia Montană (Verespatak) has raised serious concerns for Hungary.

The cyanide-based technology that the investors plan to implement poses significant risks for the environment. This technology threatens to cause water pollution and endangers biological diversity on an even worse scale than citizens of both Hungary and Romania have already witnessed during the Baia Mare (Nagybánya) disaster in 2000.

This is why the Government of Hungary has declared at all kinds of international forums that it finds the application of cyanide-based technology unacceptable. As a Member of the European Parliament in 2010, the current President of Hungary János Áder submitted a proposal to the EP on banning the application of cyanide-based technology in gold mining. Later, Speaker of the Parliament László Kövér and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán both urged the prohibition of this technology when meeting the European Commissioner for the Environment.

Since the licensing procedure of the gold mining project in Roșia Montană (Verespatak) began, Hungary has requested on several occasions that Romania apply the International Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a transboundary context. The Convention allowed Hungary to take part in the licensing procedure as a potentially affected party. During the course of the procedure the Hungarian party rejected the environmental impact assessment prepared by the Romanian authorities referring to its overly general nature, its unfounded assumptions and mistaken conclusions.

The Hungarian Government has not changed its position, and expects adherence to European regulations. It also expects that due respect be paid to the universal environment and cultural values that are being threatened by the gold mining project in Roșia Montană (Verespatak) and which are part of our common Central European heritage, serving the interests of both Hungary and Romania.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs)