We will ask NZZ chairman Bogumił Tyszkiewicz about the current situation and the future of the Turów mine. Monday, May 31, 6:15 p.m. In June 2020, we covered the subject of Turów in the article Is it about the climate—or eliminating Polish competition?
Bogumił Tyszkiewicz:
The CJEU’s decision surprised us.
We can agree with certain facts, but this is not how matters should be handled—ordering a halt to coal production until the case is clarified.
We are extracting coal and working normally.
We met with Ministers Sasin and Sobon, and we were assured that the mine would not stop operating.
There were two protests in Kopaczów. There was also a protest in Wrocław. Most people came from Bełchatów and Turów.
We are protesting against treating us Poles this way. Poles are treated differently from other residents of Europe.
There is also a gravel pit near the town that is complaining about the Turów mine, and it may be affecting this situation.
We suspect that this may be about eliminating the competition.
At the meeting with the minister, we were assured that our concession had been issued in accordance with the law, in agreement with the Czech side.
We trust nobody, which is why there are protests.
For me, as a trade unionist, the matter will be over when the Czechs withdraw their complaint from the CJEU.
The mine and power plant provide a livelihood for the entire region.
If these two plants are closed, there will be such unemployment that there will be no reason to live here. Everything will collapse. We will then become an economic desert.
Czechs no longer come here to shop because they are treated badly. People are embittered. I consider this a negative phenomenon. We also travel to the Czech Republic, and soon we will be treated the same way.
I am surprised by the campaign against our mine. We have one of the most modern power units.
I believe politicians are behaving badly and are unable to reach an agreement.
All the opinions expressed in the media reach the public. Then society becomes confused and negatively disposed.
There will be a spontaneous demonstration in Warsaw on June 9.
Poland’s entire energy sector is at risk. If we close Turów, electricity will become very expensive.
I believe this is not a fight for environmental protection, but an economic struggle.
We miners are also in favor of environmental protection.
The pressure from the Czech neighbors to close the Turów mining and energy complex is highly controversial. After its closure, tens of thousands of Poles would lose their jobs. In February 2021, the Czechs sued Poland before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), alleging that the extension of the mining concession violated EU law and that mining the deposit had environmental consequences. In the second week of May, the Court of Justice of the European Union decided to impose an interim measure consisting of the immediate shutdown of the Lower Silesian mine.
The Czechs complain that the Turów mine is drawing off their water. Environmental protection organizations, including Greenpeace, are protesting alongside the Czechs. Environmentalists argue that the sooner the mine is closed, the better it will be for the region’s water resources. The region’s residents say plainly that if the mine disappears, a social desert will emerge, with only pensioners and thieves remaining.