Gold Mining Stakeholders: Diversity and Influence. Roșia Montană Case Study

Using historiography, online information and the stakeholders’ theory, this study focuses on the interested parties involved in a highly controversial gold mining project in Romania’s Roșia Montană area. The study documents the emergence and influence of different stakeholders (and the relationships between them). The research result suggests that company management and project investors (in this case involving the State as minority owner and regulator and a Canadian company as the majority owner) need to be aware of the objectives of a range of stakeholders including the general public, environmental campaigners and cultural agencies. They should identify shared stakeholder objectives and take these objectives into account when assessing the prospects of a mining project. Ultimately, these findings could be a lesson in political conduct for stakeholders involved in similar projects in other East European countries.