Thirty thousand people in the Czech Republic’s Liberec region face a loss of access to drinking water due to the planned expansion of the Turów coal mine. This mine is planned to newly stretch outwards to just 150 meters from the Czech border and downwards to a depth below the bottom of the Baltic. The resulting drainage of Czech underground water is not just a threat to citizens; the drying out of the area would destroy entire local ecosystems and cause significant agricultural damage. A further increase to dust and noise levels is a threat as well. Furthermore, the end date for mining is to be delayed from 2020 out to 2044.
Despite all of the above, the Polish refuse to adjust the mine’s plans so as to reduce its effects on the Czech Republic, nor will they offer any kind of compensation for its effects on the Czech environment. The plan likewise does not count on any arrangements for a replacement source of drinking water.
Because of this, the Liberec region—along with ten affected municipalities, and with the support of Frank Bold—is turning to the petition committee of the European Parliament and requesting an investigation into both the mining extension plan itself and the procedural approach taken by Poland, which is marred by infringements of both EU law and the rights of the Czech Republic. The petitioners are also requesting that the European Commission be addressed in this matter. The Commission monitors observance of EU law, and in cases where it finds an infringement, it initiates proceedings that can even culminate in a suit at the Court of Justice of the European Union.
You too can sign the petition against the expansion of the Turów mine.
Frank Bold Society and the Neighbourhood Association Uhelná have drawn up a document with seven basic requirements that the Czech side should insist on when negotiating with Poland. See the press release for background information.
In the face of recent opposition addressed to the EU Commission by some business associations and specific governments from Nordic Europe, NGOs have reiterated their support for the European Commission commitment to present an initiative on Sustainable Corporate Governance in 2021, following the roadmap set in the EU Green Deal and the Action Plan on Sustainable Finance.
As part of the reform of the EU Non-Financial Reporting Directive, the European Commission plans to develop mandatory EU sustainability reporting standards. The analysis of the non-financial reports of 1000 European companies by the Alliance for Corporate Transparency has proven how companies fail to report relevant, specific and comparable information. While this is true for all sustainability matters, it is particularly exacerbated in the case of corporate impacts and risks along the supply chain.
