The Roșia Montana tragi-comedy: A victory for all, teeth knocked out and all

There’s something so quintessentially Romanian, grotesque, and hilariously absurd in the public reactions following the dry verdict that put an end to the Roșia Montană saga, you need only a hint of humor to grasp why.

Let’s start with the biggest „winner”: the Romanian state. The Ciolacu government didn’t entertain the notion of winning for even a second. Their lawyers had told them the chances were slim. Consequently, PSD and Prime Minister Ciolacu based their entire damage control strategy on blaming the opposition. For a month, Romanian officials obsessively reiterated that Romania would lose the lawsuit and be burdened with colossal reparations, to the tune of billions of dollars.

They launched a vehement media campaign to blame USR, Cioloș, and even AUR, collectively accusing them of contributing to the imminent disaster that would strike Romania by undermining the Roșia Montană deal. But the nuclear bomb Ciolacu&co were ready to drop on the opposition’s head Friday evening fizzled out like a burst balloon. When no one expected a miracle anymore, the World Bank’s arbitration division ruled in favor of the Romanian state. The power’s strategy to bombard the opposition in the midst of the campaign with heavy artillery literally crumbled overnight.

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And overnight, the opposition was resurrected. From being portrayed by the government as Romania’s gravediggers, they woke up as the country’s saviors. USR and Cioloș managed the bizarre feat of saving Roșia Montană, the country’s gold, and Romania’s budget, yet they can’t save themselves. Cioloș, for instance, proved so visionary that he created a party almost invisible in polls. USR, despite the Right Alliance, is marking time, at best.

It took Marcel Ciolacu punching himself in the mouth for the opposition, teeth knocked out, to joyfully dance in the ring having KO’ed their adversary. After the PSD leader stepped on the rake, the opposition boasts of leaving him bloodied.

Even those who lost everything, namely the Canadian company, won over time from stock market speculations, a fortune without extracting a gram of gold from Roșia Montană. Even if today the folks at Gold Corporation seem like the big losers, with all their investments in Romania over the last two decades, it’s hard to believe they spent here more than they gained from selling the illusion of gold mining in Romania at a premium on the stock market.

Even in the last month, as the Romanian government started lamenting its loss in the lawsuit, someone won from selling shares at a steady price, and others, who bought hoping to sell for triple a bit later, were left with swollen lips. Who’s celebrating today, and who’s crying into their fists? Until yesterday, they were sure they had made the investment of their lifetime, but the smoke cleared Friday evening in an instant. From mountains of gold, nothing remained but a handful of waste.

We can also imagine Romania’s enemies, both domestic and foreign, ready to pop the champagne if the World Bank arbitration (read: America in their view) had condemned the Romanian state to pay an ultra-rich company dizzying sums in the realm of two to three billion dollars. What would they say today? Easy to guess: Romania, the Colony, humiliated by its allies from across the Ocean. They couldn’t take your gold, but they’ll skin you for money and other nicely threaded nonsense along the lines of anti-Romanian conspiracies woven by the greedy West.

This time, Romania’s enemies, with Putin and his trolls at the forefront, were left with unopened champagne.

The truth is, the Roșia Montană affair didn’t end for anyone as expected. The surprising verdict once again caught the Romanian state off guard. Cristian Pantazi has already explained why the government’s behavior in the last month has shattered confidence in the judgment of some of Romania’s high-ranking politicians.

Did Romania win or lose from the definitive burial of the Roșia Montană gold mining project? Hard to say now, in the euphoria of the decision from Washington. In the short term, certainly. In the long run, it remains a question mark.

Yet, in the tragicomic note of the whole situation, allow me to conclude with a question: who is to blame that we won against our will? And who pays politically for the fact that, fortunately, the government’s prophecy did not come true and that we did not lose?