CSOs demand public participation in decisions to open mines

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Although it has been a signatory to the Aarhus Convention for 20 years, the state has "forgotten" the obligation to ask the public for its opinion when it comes to opening mines on its territory, and this is not provided for in the new draft law on mineral resources, which was adopted after An urgent procedure in the Parliament was withdrawn in January under pressure from environmental associations. On the contrary, the state wants to maintain its discretion, even despite the negative opinions of the local government and state institutions for a mining project, in the future to give a concession to open that mine, react the civil associations.

- It is striking that the state did not provide for public consultation in the law on mineral resources, although this law regulates an area that leaves the most terrible consequences on human life and health and the quality of the environment, especially when it comes to open pit mines, tailings “, said Tatjana Chakulev from the "O2 Coalition" at today's briefing regarding the amendments to the proposed law on mineral resources for which civil society organizations within the eco-alliance "Understand everything" are negotiating with the Ministry of Economy, which is proposing the law.

- We managed to prevent the law from being adopted in a shortened procedure and to return to the law the deleted obligation of the concessionaire to prepare a technical-technological report where they will explain what procedure and what chemicals it is, we had an obligation to know the final owner of the mine, so that it does not hide as before when trading shares in the mine, but to pay its tax to the state, said Liljana Popovska from the Green Institute.

However, according to Popovska, there was resistance in the Ministry for the request for the state to allocate part of the concession fee for compensation for reclamation of land occupied by the exploitation of mineral resources.

- We do not agree with the dramatic reduction of fines for environmental pollution by mines, said Popovska, emphasizing that the Ministry has been asked to include in the legal solutions greater participation of the State Environmental Inspectorate in the control of tailings, which contain the greatest risk of accident and potential for environmental disaster when it comes to mines.

So far, landfills have not been built with the necessary care and attention to the environment, although they are most dangerous to nature and humans because they contain millions of tons of toxic mixture of cyanide, sulfuric acid and other hazardous materials mixed with mud.

- Well, now imagine when you should have it over your head, and for the mine "Ilovica" it was planned to have a dam 276 meters high which should prevent the poisonous mud from being poured on us and pouring into the Strumica valley, said Kostadin Ristomanov, an activist from the Green Valley, one of the environmental associations from the Strumica region that advocated for the abolition of the concession for the gold and copper mine near Ilovica.

He pointed out that, in a situation where capital dictates the rules of the game, citizens do not have sufficient guarantees that their lives and their health are protected from current and future open pit mines.

- So far, no one has a precise answer who and how will take care of the safety of the tailings and when, after 20 or 30 years of exploitation, the concessionaire will leave, says Ristomanov and asks if people living near mining tailings will have to fear for their lives whenever there is rain and other natural phenomena so that the dams do not crack.

 

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