Brussels sides with Czechs on Polish coal mine expansion

The European Commission says Poland failed to correctly assess the environmental impact of expanding a coal mine near the Czech border and fully inform Prague about its plans. In doing so, Brussels has accepted a complaint lodged by the Czech ministries of environment and foreign affairs regarding the Turów mine.

According to the Polish plan, the mine would be extended by 14.6 hectares towards the shared border. Its proximity to one Czech village would then be just one kilometre. Brussels said that if the countries cannot resolve the dispute, Prague should also apply to the Court of Justice of the EU, it said.