Canada's Gabriel Resources local subisdiary urged Romania Wednesday to say once and for all "yes or no" to its plans to open a gold mine, stressing patience was running out.

"Romania must give an answer rapidly, I don't think our shareholders' patience will last for long," Rosia Montana Gold Corporation (RMGC) chief executive Dragos Tanase told AFP two days after a parliamentary committee voted against the company's plans.

Tanase added that suing Romania over the delay was "not an option for the moment."

Gabriel Resources CEO Jonathan Henry in September told AFP in an e-mail the company may sue Romania for up to $4.0 billion if the draft legislation was rejected by Parliament.

Tanase stressed that investors "expect their partner to observe its legal commitments and give an answer within a reasonable timeframe."

"The project has already been delayed after waiting for eight years for a an environmental permit," he said.

RMGC, which acquired a mining licence in the picturesque village of Rosia Montana in 1999, hopes to extract 300 tonnes of precious metal in what is planned to become Europe's biggest open-cast gold mine.

But the authorities have been reticent to grant it a key environemental permit, as the mine will use thousands of tonnes of cyanide and damage Roman-era mining galeries described as unique in Europe.

The centre-left government in August adopted a draft law clearing the way for the mine but later changed its position following mass protests across Romania.

Tanase said the company now expected parliament to adopt new legislation on mining "to clarify permitting and expropriation terms."

He added he hoped to get a construction permit in the second half of 2014 and meanwhile carry on with the preparatory phase, including buying properties and raising funds to finance its operations.

"We are not asking for any favours, we just want clear rules and procedures for the mining industry as a whole," he said.

"When investors come, get a mining licence, invest money and get entangled in lengthy procedures they may wonder: why should I invest in Romania and not in Turkey or Ukraine?"