Mongolia is Least Attractive for Mining

Mongolia is seen as the world’s least attractive jurisdiction for mineral exploration and development, according to the survey released today by the Fraser Institute, Canada’s leading public policy think-tank.
The updated survey of international mining executives was conducted between June 1 and June 30.

This Fraser Institute’s Survey is based on the opinions of mining executives representing 429 mineral exploration and development companies on the investment climate of 51 jurisdictions around the world. The update was conducted following the global recovery in commodity prices and the introduction of new regulatory hurdles and taxation in many jurisdictions. The results of this updated survey make one point abundantly clear: governments that change mining policies in mid-stream without consulting the industry risk driving away investment, said Fred McMahon of the Fraser Institute. “In order to attract mining investment, jurisdictions must uphold the rule of law and respect negotiated contracts and property rights. Jurisdictions that fail to do so can not compete successfully on a global scale,” he added.

Overall, the top 10 jurisdictions are Alberta, Finland, Quebec, Yukon, Saskatchewan, Chile, Newfoundland and Labrador, Botswana, Alaska, and Nevada. The bottom 10 scores went to Mongolia, Ecuador, Kazakhstan, Bolivia, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Russia, Colorado, Indonesia, and Tasmania.