EC Backs Czechia Against Polish Mine

Poland says that closing down its open-pit brown coal mine in Turow would be an “energy disaster.” Even so, the European Commission is lining up behind the Czech Republic in an ongoing fight with its neighbor against the expansion of the mine, which is run by Poland’s state-run company PGE.

Czechs living close to the Polish border near the mine say it is affecting their drinking water, and that they are suffering from noise, particulate and sinking ground surfaces because of it. Czechia could ask for as much as EUR 5 million per day in compensation if the Polish mining operations continue.

Last year, the Commission determined that Poland had broken the law by not properly consulting the public or communities in neighboring companies about the expansion of Turow. This week, it announced that it would take part in court proceedings in the EU court of justice, Europe’s highest court.

Source: Reuters