Fiala says Turow mine agreement with Poland still "best possible solution" for Czechs

The agreement signed last February by the Czech and Polish governments regarding the controversial Turow mine, over which Czechia and Poland had been in dispute for a number of years, is still the best possible solution for Czechia and the people living near the mine, Prime Minister Petr Fiala has said. He made the statement in response to an announcement on Monday by the Czech Geological Survey that the underground sealing wall, which was one of the measures stipulated in the agreement and is supposed to stop water draining from Czech territory to the Polish mine, has so far not had any discernible positive effect.

Environmentalists argue that the wall is in the wrong place and will not prevent water from flowing out. However, Mr. Fiala said that it was clear from the beginning that it would take time before the positive effects would be felt on the Czech side of the border. He added that some organisations and individuals have opposed the Czech-Polish agreement from the start, and it is therefore not surprising that they are trying to discredit it now.