“I invite them to study the Romanian mining. Otherwise, they embarrassingly blunder!” – Ion Popescu, President CSN Meridian.
Bucharest, September 13th, 2011. National Trade Union Confederation Meridian (CSN Meridian) dismisses the recent political statements of Mr. Mugurel Surupaceanu, MP in the Parliament of Romania, and Mr. Catalin Ivan, Member of the European Parliament, regarding the Rosia Montana mining project.
On September 12th, MEP Catalin Ivan, according to his statements, took the floor within the European Parliament in Strasbourg, accusing the European Commission of complicity to the destruction of the mining region of Apuseni Mountains from Romania, with direct reference to the Rosia Montana Project, by the fact that the representatives of the European Commission approved and have constantly supported the use of cyanide technology in gold mining, as being the only long-tested and safe technology. The president of CSN Meridian, Mr. Ion Popescu, declares: “Cyanide is used in gold mining everywhere in the world. This is how gold is extracted. The other three existing methods are much more uncomfortable and harmful from the viewpoint of the environment and public health. Not only that the resources from Rosia Montana do not destroy the area, but they greatly help it, by the economic development they can generate and by the jobs which are to be created there. We will have to gain through the whole infrastructure, education, health and demographic policy which will be positively influenced, so that the people and the mining traditions from the Apuseni Mountains do not disappear. I expect from people like Mr. Ivan to come with concrete solutions to this crisis, not unfounded accusations. We can discuss the solutions together.”
Another surprising statement which we would like to refer to belongs to MP Mugurel Surupaceanu, and was posted on his personal blog on September 13th. Mr. Surupaceanu makes, according to him, major disclosures about the resources in the underground of Rosia Montana, where rare metals are supposedly found in impressive quantities and these are apparently kept secret by the authorities and the mining company from the area. The President of CSN Meridian, who has repeatedly visited the mining areas of the Apuseni Mountains, researching on site, mentions the following: “I invite Mr. Surupaceanu to study Mendeleev’s table. It is high time he starts learning! It is one thing the politics and another thing the economic geography I invite him to study as well. The politics is the poison which kills more than cyanide, particularly as cyanide, if properly used, contributes to economic development”.
With regard to the Romanian President’s statements on the re-launch of mining and the restart of the gold and copper mines, the president of CSN Meridian, Ion Popescu, adds the following: “Only the mining activity can take the country out of the crisis. I welcome the initiative of the president of the state to reopen the closed mines by the end of the year. The gold and copper price can really take the country out of the abyss it is found in. Nothing is possible without the non-energy industry. The coal is also in fashion worldwide. And the 2 power facilities from Hunedoara and Oltenia would be beneficial for the energy mining industry, particularly for energy, which is the planet’s number 1 problem. I support all the Romanian and foreign investors of good faith, who can contribute to the welfare of the communities and create jobs”.
Ion Popescu, President of the National Trade Union Confederation Meridian
