In mid-December, the European Commission acknowledged a large part of the arguments put forward by the Czechia in an effort to prevent the expansion and continuation of illegal mining at the Turów mine in Poland, that endangers the sources of drinking water for thousands of people in the Liberec region and, according to new studies, has serious impacts on groundwater in Germany as well. Frank Bold's lawyers, who defend the interests of Czech citizens, have long been involved in the case.
"We are pleased that the European Commission has heard our call and issued a reasoned opinion stating that Poland has violated the directives - a major milestone in this case. The Czech Republic is now in a stronger position on the road to the European Court of Justice. The link between the action and the interim measure to stop mining is crucial at this stage. Therefore, we provide full cooperation to all parties and collect the latest information on the impact of mining, which locals feel every day," said Petra Urbanová, lawyer at Frank Bold.
The Turów mine supplies fuel to the adjacent power plant and has a mining permit until 2026, which was granted in violation of EU rules, which has now been confirmed by the European Commission. At the same time, Poland has long declared that it plans to mine in Turów until 2044. The mine should expand to 30 square kilometers. An out-of-court settlement with Poland has not yet been reached.
More information about families endangered by mining in Turów can be found at https://www.waterorcoal.org/.
Together with other environmental organizations, we succeeded in revoking a derogation from the emission levels associated with the best available techniques for the Počerady Power Plant, the largest producer of greenhouse gases in the Czech Republic. The illegal derogation allowed the plant to emit unprecedented amounts of toxic mercury. Now it is the turn of the Ministry of the Environment to push for an end to the ongoing illegal situation.
European Union and its member states have approved a framework to prevent that companies providing low prices based on dumping, child labour, pollution and exploitation will not be better positioned in the EU market. They adopted the Corporate Sustainable Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), which will provide guidance to companies on how to prevent significant negative impacts in their operations and value chains.
The International Sustainability Standards Board is presenting in London this Tuesday the work plan for the upcoming two years, including research projects to develop standards for companies’ reporting on biodiversity and human capital.
