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/.
Today, the Council of the EU approved a watered-down version of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). It includes a severely reduced scope: Only about 0,05% of companies across the EU will be subject to the new law, a cut of roughly 2/3 - compared to the December trilogue outcome.
Frank Bold participated in the preparation of a new report examining the changes underway in the European energy sector and the need to modernize electricity grids to accommodate more renewable energy sources with emphasis on Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).
EU policy-makers agreed last night to postpone by two years the deadline for the adoption of sector-specific standards for companies sustainability reporting, which was initially set in the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive for June 2024.
