Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
As the country faced economic crisis during the blockade on Yugoslavia
and Bulgaria's own transformation to capitalism, several of the state
mining companies became insolvent. Foreign investors moved in, estab-
lishing partnerships and targeting the most lucrative holdings. The three
cases studied here comprise the set of major foreign initiatives in the gold
sector. All of these investments started in the early years of the millen-
nium, hit their fi rst major phases of activism and resistance in 2005-
2006, and have followed differing trajectories since.
Examining three different cases in the same country over the same
period allows one to hold national institutional factors constant while
studying how other factors shape the decision-making process both
on their own and in the way they relate to national institutions. If the
dynamics and outcomes of these three cases vary, then they cannot be
explained primarily by national institutions and laws. The paths of the
cases highlight local factors, strategies of different actors, involvement
of transnational actors, contingencies affecting how national institutions
treated these cases, and decisions of the companies undertaking the
investments.
Following the July 2009 elections, the new Bulgarian government
asserted its intention to increase transparency and accountability in
institutional decision making, including in the use of EU funds. A new
Minister of Environment and Water with experience in two previous
governments came in as well. While it is still too early to determine
whether Bulgarian politics is indeed becoming more institutionalized or
whether the government is simply using institutions to different ends
from its predecessor, some of the most recent developments in the cases
here suggest that the government has placed more of an emphasis on
adhering to formal processes. The directions the cases are taking are
mixed from the vantage point of those opposed to the gold-mining
investments and plans for cyanide use. They too, though, are pursuing
institutional means to halt or alter the projects.
Chelopech
Chelopech has long been a mining area. The current controversy started
with the purchase of mining rights by Dundee Precious Metals, a fi rm
developed for investments in Southeastern Europe with ties to Newmont,
Teck Comico, and others major international companies (Panayotova
2008; Panayotova and Kuznetsov 2008). Dundee started its activity in
Chelopech in 2003 with environmental remediation, exploration of
reserves, and production by existing methods, Phase I of its project
