UNESCO adds mining area to heritage list, preventing foreign exploitation

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UNESCO added the ancient Roman gold mining area of Rosia Montana in western Romania to its list of world heritage sites on Tuesday, throwing the town a lifeline and further complicating a long-stalled mine project.

In 1999, the Canadian company won a license to exploit the mining site at Roșia Montană. The Romanian state blocked the gold mining project following massive street protests, and the company took the case at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) in Washington. It asked for damages of USD 4.4 billion for the blocking of the mining project.

The European Union state first put the ancient Roman mine tunnels and vestiges up for inclusion on the world heritage list in 2016.

Source - https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/unesco-names-romanian-ancient-gold-mine-settlement-world-heritage-site-2021-07-27/, https://www.romania-insider.com/rosia-montana-unesco-world-heritage-list-jul-2021

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