Greece’s Council of State has annulled the government’s decision in 2015 to revoke Eldorado Gold’s mining license, according to court documents published on Wednesday.
The Canadian-based mining company had appealed to Greece’s top court to overturn the ban on its plans to develop gold mines in a forested area in Chalkidiki, northern Greece.
On August 19, the Greek government revoked the approval of the technical studies for flash-melting at Skouries and Olympias sites claiming environmental damages. The license was revoked and works stopped. Miners unions appealed the government’s decision.
The majority of Greece’s highest administrative court judges ruled in favor of Eldorado in November, but a final ruling was pending. In January, Minister of Environment and Energy Panos Skourletis argued against licensing the mining company, with Eldorado threatening to stop all operations in Greece and leave the investment.
On Wednesday, the Plenary of the Council of State rejected the reasoning of the minister’s decision, which was based on the contractual obligation of Eldorado to conduct field tests of the mining method to be implemented in Greece.
The mining company did not comment on the Council of State’s decision. The Ministry of Environment and Energy issued a statement saying that the ministry will respect the court’s decision and will proceed having the protection of the environment as its top priority.
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