The Academy recommends the sustainable exploitation of mineral and energy reserves

The Romanian Academy launches an interesting invitation to the authorities, in addition to the proposal, there is also a concrete offer of support. The Romanian Academy states that our country has considerable mineral and energy resources and reserves, diverse and relatively evenly distributed in the territory, emphasizing the need to capitalize on them by reactivating the extractive and processing industry by implementing a National Geological Research-Exploration Program. According to a point of view of the Romanian Academy: "Mineral and energy resources of the underground represent a national heritage that must be capitalized in a sustainable way, because it is the basis of the socio-economic development of the country. In the evaluation of the national potential of mineral resources, it is necessary to also take into account the secondary resources (dumps and tailings from settling ponds that sometimes still contain appreciable amounts of useful elements), these will be reintroduced into the economic circuit. This fact will contribute to increasing the degree of security and sustainability of the supply of essential critical raw materials in key industrial sectors for the national and European economy".

Taking into account the principles of sustainable socio-economic development of our country, as well as the major difficulties that the Romanian State went through in the case of the Roşia Montană project, the Romanian Academy specifies that it is imperative that the exploitation of mineral resources is done in a sustainable way, without the use of technological procedures and substances with a high degree of toxicity (e.g. sodium cyanide), which would endanger the environment, human communities, archaeological and historical remains and the natural landscape in the mining area: "It is necessary to put into practice a National Program of geological research-exploration for highlighting new resources/reserves of useful mineral substances, for the permanent re-evaluation and sustainable management of these resources. The Romanian Academy proposes to establish a National Geological Service, to coordinate all specific activities of geological research-exploration and to ensure the application of the National Geological Program, in accordance with the European objectives of the energy transition". At the same time, according to the Academy, for an efficient management of the country's mineral and energy resources, it is necessary to create a legislative framework with the aim of identifying the potential of Romania's natural resources in the interest of the country's sustainable development. Also, the existing legislative framework should be updated and completed (Mining Law, Petroleum Law and Environmental Law) and ensure the continuous harmonization of the national legislative framework with EU and UN legislation in the field (United Nations Resource Management System: Principles and Requirements) , September 2022).

If, for the exploitation of certain mineral resources, it will be necessary to call on companies from abroad, the association/cooperation or concession agreements must provide for considerably higher benefit rates for the Romanian State than those that were accepted for the Roşia Montană project (possibly with the application of the production sharing agreement principles), the high court considers.

At the end of the works and the closure of the exploitations, there must be real assurances that in the immediate following period the complete restoration of the environment and optimal ecological conditions in the areas affected by the exploitation will be carried out, and in the UNESCO or strictly protected sites on the territory of the country that no accept the opening of exploration-exploitation works or the concession of areas respectively for such works. The Romanian Academy declares itself "ready to provide at any time the necessary consultancy to the authorities of the Romanian State" in the field, affirming that it has, through its members and its specialized institutes in Bucharest and in the country, the highest expertise network in the sector of mineral resource exploitation.