As multinational corporations exploit the crisis

As multinational corporations exploit the crisis
In the peninsula of Halkidiki, in the north-eastern Greece, foreign multinationals are going to do, literally, gold business. Attracted by the mineral wealth of the region and facilitated by economic instability of the country, the mining companies have cornered the mining rights and intend to begin to take advantage of the auriferous resources of the peninsula as soon as possible. The inhabitants, however, do not intend to turn their natural resources into commodities trading, and are strictly opposed to the plans for the exploitation of their resources.
It all began in 2011, when the company Hellas Gold, a subsidiary of the multinational Canadian Eldorado Gold Corporation, obtained by the greek state mining rights on mining of the peninsula, at a price well below their market value and in the absence of any tender. The greek state, in fact, was in a hurry to repair the failure of the Canadian company TVX Gold, operating in the extraction of gold in the peninsula until 2003, when it declared bankruptcy leaving without pay its more than 400 employees. Thus, in addition to offering particularly advantageous terms, the state greek Hellas Gold exempted from repairing ecological damage caused by the company that had preceded it. In addition to injury, insult: the pollution will worsen, given that the continuation of mining by Hellas Gold includes the use of cyanide, a technique considered high-risk environment, but not yet banned in Greece.
The other side of the coin
While the Romanian government can at least disguise his support for the reopening of the mine in Rosia Montana boasting possession of 20% of the shares of the Rosia Montana Gold Corporation, its greek equivalent can not do the same and that the exploitation of mines in Halkidiki status Greek will not draw any profit. According to the Mining Code in force since the days of the dictatorship of the Colonels, in fact, the minerals belong exclusively to the mining companies. The government, therefore, justifies the exploitation of the gold with the creation of new jobs and increased capital can stimulate the economic growth of the country.
The inhabitants of the peninsula, however, fear the devastating consequences that will result in the reopening of the mines, especially in environmental terms. Ancient forests like those around the village of Skouries will be razed to the ground, while significant water resources, abundant in the peninsula, will be wasted in the process of extraction and polluted by waste materials. Not to mention the toxic waste that could irreparably pollute the soil of the peninsula. A few thousand jobs, say the opponents of the project, do not justify such environmental devastation. Also because work activities terminate once sold the gold to be extracted (the estimate is about 27 years old), while the environmental damage will be permanent.
The local community and international solidarity
The closest allies of the Greek community who are opposed to the exploitation of the gold-bearing peninsula of Halkidiki are activists of Rosia Montana, Romania. The problems they face are similar, as well as the companies involved are similar. Among its shareholders, in fact, Hellas Gold has the famous Frank Timis, the controversial Romanian-Australian businessman already founder of Gabriel Resources, a company active in gold mining in Rosia Montana.
The Greek citizens took to the streets many times in defense of the peninsula of Halkidiki and in solidarity with its people, counting on the support of environmentalists and international activists. The state's response was not long in coming: the riot police intervened several times to stop the protests, to the last, resounding speech in March in the village of Ierissos. The umpteenth demonstration of the local population, the police responded by throwing tear gas inside a school, in which there were some students and professors, then justifying the arrest of minors as potential participants in a 'act of sabotage against the Canadian company which took place February 17 in the yard of Skouries.
Despite the local community strongly opposes the project, according to the plans of Hellas Gold activities should start in 2015.