The prime ministers signed an agreement on Turów, Poland will pay the Czech Republic 45 million euros
Updates: 02/03/2022 13:54
Released: 03.02.2022, 13:29
Prague – The Prime Ministers of the Czech Republic and Poland have signed an intergovernmental agreement on resolving the impact of mining activities at the Polish brown coal mine Turów near the Czech border. This was announced by the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Petr Fiala (ODS) at a conference after talks with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
According to Fiala, the countries have agreed to compensate 45 million euros (approximately 1.08 billion crowns) for damage caused by mining in the mine and the five-year length of judicial supervision. At the same time, the Czechia is withdrawing its action before the Court of Justice of the EU after receiving the agreed funds from Poland. It should be hours, days at the latest, Fiala said.
According to Fiala, Poland undertook in the agreement, among other things, to complete an underground wall to prevent the outflow of groundwater from the Czech territory, to build a protective wall and other measures, such as improving the air in the region. According to the agreement, monitoring of noise pollution from mines, air quality, terrain movements and groundwater levels will be ensured until the completion of mining activities. A small project fund will also operate to finance local and regional environmental projects, Fiala added.
According to Fialy, it is also important for the Czechia that it gains access to all relevant data on mining activities and that we will be able to respond to possible problems sooner and better. The Czech Republic would not achieve all this in any way other than an agreement, the prime minister said.
Last year, Poland allowed the expansion of mining, regardless of the Czech side’s objections. For this reason, the Czechia turned to the EU Court of Justice, which last May ordered Poland to suspend work with preliminary measures. The Poles refused. The Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the EU today ruled in favor of a Czech lawsuit.