„We don’t have time to sleep. We must act, wisely and judiciously, to carry out the energy transition, because it will not be avoided. The methane regulation adopted by the EP contains provisions protecting the Polish mining industry and de facto gives us time to carry out the transformation,” emphasizes Jadwiga Wiśniewska, Member of the European Parliament from the European Conservatives and Reformists in an interview with BiznesAlert.pl.
BiznesAlert.pl: On 9 May, the European Parliament supported the compromise amendments to the methane regulation. The amendments also succeeded in converting penalties for violations into fees that will go to the member state budget and will then be transferred to mines to invest in technologies to reduce methane emissions. How do you assess the outcome of this vote and what impact it may have on Poland?
Jadwiga Wiśniewska: We are very happy with the vote, because we did everything to protect the Polish mining industry. This result is satisfactory. For the first time, five political groups worked out a compromise to protect the Polish mining industry. The plenary vote is the result of a long negotiation process. Earlier, at the joint ITRE and ENVI committees, compromise solutions were voted on, crucial for the Polish mining industry. Today’s plenary vote confirmed these agreements. The most important message from Strasbourg today is that the Polish mining industry has been protected, and Poland has gained time to carry out the transformation. The EP supported the compromises that Poland wanted.
What are they about?
In the course of negotiations, both within the EU Council and in the EP forum, Poland has achieved great success. The limit on the methane emission rate was increased 10 fold – from 0.5 to 5 tons of methane per kiloton of extracted coal. It was also agreed that emissions will be calculated at the level of the operator, and not each mine. In addition, the derogation for coking coal was maintained and penalties were converted into charges. All of this is beneficial from the point of view of the mining sector in Poland. Thanks to this, in accordance with the concluded social agreement, the mines will be able to continue to function. Jobs in the mining sector will also be protected. It is also important that the fees will go to the state budget and will be transferred to operators for investment in technologies to reduce methane emissions. This will give us time to carry out the energy transition. Today’s vote, the result of a broad compromise between the political groups in the EP, is in line with the spirit of the declaration on a just transition adopted at COP24 in Katowice in 2018.
Does this mean that the Polish mining sector can now sleep peacefully?
We don’t have time to sleep. We must act, wisely and judiciously, to carry out the energy transition, because it will not be avoided. The methane regulation adopted by the EP contains provisions protecting Polish mining and de facto gives us time to carry out the transformation.
Interview by Jacek Perzyński