The UK daily Independent this week showcased a classic “growth-vs-environment” dilemma that the new Greek government will face head-on in dealing with the controversial Skouries gold mine investment in northern Greece,
While in the political opposition, leftist SYRIZA was more than eager to vilify the project, pointing to what it called environmental damage, “rent seeking” and opposition by some — not all — local communities, amongst others. In fact, the new Greek Development Minister, staunch anti-capitalist Panagiotis Lafazanis, emphasized after the election, and now from a position of authority, that his government would pull out all the legal stops to end the investment.
Now, however, on the other side of the argument are hundreds, if not thousands, of jobs held by other local residents, jobs and income threatened by the anti-mining SYRIZA government’s opposition to the gold mine. Just as importantly, markets will be watching closely on how the leftist government handles one of Greece’s biggest foreign direct investments.
Below is the Independent’s article:
http://goo.gl/mmKjMf