A local NGO, Centro de Incidencia Ambiental (Ciam), and other environmental groups last week presented a legislative bill demanding a moratorium on metallic mining in Panama. This followed the announcement in May by the government led by President Laurentino Cortizo of the launch of a “consultation period” to discuss a new mining policy among other signs of efforts to promote the sector. While the government is trumpeting this as necessary to revive the economy, which shrank 17.9% in 2020 due to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, the issue of mining has proven hugely controversial in the past and could throw up new problems for the Cortizo government. End of preview - This article contains approximately 637 words.
Subscribers: Log in now to read the full article
Not a Subscriber?
Choose from one of the following options