The firm involved in the contentious Skouries gold mining project in Halkidiki, northern Greece, indicated that it might abandon the scheme in the wake of strong protest by locals and environmental groups reports Neos Kosmos.

Speaking at a news conference in Athens, the managing director of Hellas Gold, Petros Stratoudakis, questioned whether Greece could provide what is needed for the project to succeed. “The question is whether, as a country, we will create a clean and methodical environment for investors,” he said. “If this is possible, then the company will stay. The country and the government is pursuing investments but I have doubts about whether it can handle investments, especially ones of this size.”