A Romanian cop was paid to sell information to dealers. Elsewhere in the news, Romania risks losing its vestiges from Rosia Montana gold mine region. Last but not least, South Romania is one of EU's region where underground waters are high in nitrates.

A Romanian cop was paid to sell information to dealers, Gandul reads. Commissar Florea Farcasanu from Bucharest's Sector 4 Anti-drug Service has been retained by his colleagues and the Romanian Authority for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) for selling information to criminal clan Spoitoru. His monthly reward: 600 euros. On realising he was suspected, he started the procedures for medical retirement.

Colleagues say that for just over a year, since he joined them, all missions targeting drug dealers were failing. They realised they had a traitor amongst them and started the investigations. On Tuesday, eight days before medical retirement, he was arrested on the street. Judicial sources told Gandul that drug dealers admitted in court that the policeman was being paid for selling information to them. Danut Spoitoru, the leader of the clan, is allegedly the one to have turned him in.

Farcasanu risks being accused of corruption by the Romanian National Anti-corruption Directorate (DNA). For the moment, he is being held in preventive arrest. Last year, 340 Interior Ministry staff have been accused and investigated by DNA. 41 condemnation. have been ruled so far. Out of the 340 investigated, 68 have leading roles.

Romania risks losing its vestiges from Rosia Montana gold mine region, Evenimentul Zilei reads. Should the exploitation go through, it would destroy not only several mountains, but also archaeological vestiges with major importance for the world patrimony. According to scientific researcher Mircea Babes from Vasile Parvan Archeologic Institute, 99% of the Roman civilization vestiges from Rosia Montana (Alburnus Maior) would disappear.

It's about seven kilometres of Roman galleried dug into the mountain, numerous sanctuaries, settlements and tombs. Two saved monuments, namely a round tomb and a public edifice, would be isolated in the middle of a working site. Judging by their length and size, the Roman galleries from Rosia Montana are unique in the space of the ex-Roman Empire. Romania and Spain rank the first two positions when it comes to Roman mining vestiges.

But in contrast to Rosia Montana, the Roman galleries from Las Medulas (Spain) have been enlisted with UNESCO since 1997. Rosia Montana is still missing this protection, since both the Romanian state and the Cultural Ministry would have to sign such a request. Presently, only the gallery from Mount Orlea can be visited. But the Romanian archaeologist says the value of a monument does not depend on accessible it is to the public.

The exploitation would be open, in four quarries, meaning the mountains that would disappear. An entire valley would be flooded by a cyanide lake and damned. Four holes would be left behind. According to Gold Corporation project, three would be filled with sterile stone resulted left after the gold and silver have been extracted. For Babes, Rosia Montana is an open space museum, carved by people for 2,000 years.

South Romania is one of EU's region where underground waters are high in nitrates, Romania Libera informs. The nitrates come for agricultural activity, according to a European Commission report published on Thursday, February 11, and quoted by NewsIn. Using organic and chemical fertilisers based on nitrates is a major pollution source in the European Union, harmful to human health.

The European Commission warned that farmers need to adapt to sustainable practices. The report addressing the Nitrates Directive implementation shows an overall drop of the nitrates' level in the EU. It also shows that the law meant to improve water quality starts to have better results. Other EU regions where underground waters have high nitrates levels are Estonia, south-East Netherlands, Flandra region in Belgium, Great Britain, various regions in France, North Italy, north-east Spain, south-east Slovakia, Malta and Cypress.