The open-cast gold mine located in the small Carpathian town of Rosia Montana, which would use cyanide to mine 314t of gold and 1,500t of silver, has experienced a severe resistance from civic rights groups and environmentalists.
According to reports, the project would on an average use 12 000t of cyanide per year in the leaching process that may damage the ancient Roman mining galleries.
Romania President Traian Basescu said that he may call a referendum next year on the Rosia Montana mine.
"The biggest scare about the Rosia Montana mine is the cyanide process, which should have been discussed with experts," Basescu was quoted as saying by the newspaper Adevarul’s website.
The referendum is expected to delay the project and the Canada-based Gabriel Resources (GBU), which owns the mine expects to obtain the approval by November 2013.