What goes on in Poland on the 31st of July.
Czechia threatens Poland with a complaint to Brussels for the open-pit mine in Turów
The Czech Republic will file a complaint to the European Commission in connection with the expansion of the Polish lignite mine in Turów. According to the Czech Ministry of Environment, Poland does not provide the Czech Republic with the required information. There is also a complaint against Poland to the Court of Justice of the EU.
The Minister of the Environment of the Czech Republic, Richard Brabec, told the ČTK agency that, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he would present a proposal for further actions regarding the expansion of the mine in Turów. The agency states that a complaint against Poland to the Court of Justice of the EU is at stake. Poles want to enlarge the mine in Turów, near the border with the Czech Republic, to 30 square kilometers and extract coal at a depth of 330 meters below ground level. Inhabitants of border communes in the Czech Republic are afraid of lowering the groundwater level, noise, dust and landslides. – Poland does not communicate with the Czech Republic, and does not provide the information and documents they ask for, raising strong concerns, as well as prompting them to search for and apply solutions specified by EU law – stated the authors of the application submitted to the Czech government for deliberation.
Polska Grupa Energetyczna (PGE), which owns the power plant and lignite mines in Turów, emphasizes that the mine in this location will not apply for a new license, as suggested by the Czech side. The mining field is to be enlarged entirely within the limits of the 1994 concession. PGE reports that the exploitation of the deposit proceeds south-east towards the target boundaries set out in the deposit development project, which was adopted 26 years ago. The company also declared to reduce its mining area by half compared to the 1994 concession.