Dozens of mining companies have licences revoked

TIRANA, Sept. 6 – The Economy and Energy Ministry says it has started procedures to revoke the licences of 55 mining companies which have not been operating. The decision by the Economy Minister came after controls carried out by the National Agency for Natural Resources which identified that these companies did not fulfill their legal obligations on the mining sector. Controls revealed the companies have not operating and have not submitted their annual programme for 2011 and previous years. The measures come at a time when the Bulqiza chromium mine has not been operating for more than one month due to a hunger strike and protests by miners demanding pay rises and better working conditions and more investments by Austrian company ACR. Last month, the Albanian Economy Ministry fined ACR Lek 56 million (Euro 400,000, USD 560,000) for failing to make compulsory investments under the concession contract it has with the Albanian government. The ministry had earlier partially suspended Albanian Chrome’s licence for Zone D after a working group identified problems on working conditions risking employees’ safety and health and damaging the environment.