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.
The European Parliament has adopted the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which clarifies transparency obligations for large companies operating in the EU on their sustainability impacts, risks, and opportunities. Pursuant to the CSRD, companies across all sectors will report against the European Sustainability Reporting Standards, which were developed by the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG), submitted to the European Commission and published on 22 November.
NGOs and civil society groups will only support an ambitious first set of sector-agnostic ESRS that closely builds on the EFRAG drafts adopted last November. They urge the Commission to follow EFRAG’s technical advice alongside 60+ companies and investors worth 651bn USD, and caution against making significant changes at this stage, as this would risk discrediting the process so far and undoing a good compromise.
Governments turning a blind eye to Illegal lignite mining in Turów: Local communities and the environment suffer.
