Cracks are appearing in the EU’s climate strategy. An international dispute over the court-ordered closure of a coal mine on the Poland-Czech Republic border has thrown divisions over how to phase out fossil fuels into sharp relief, leading to the first ever environment-related lawsuit between two EU member states.
The Czech Republic has taken Poland to the European Court of Justice to oppose the extension of a licence for the Turów coal mine on Poland’s south-western border with the Czech Republic and Germany. The Czech government said that continued operations at the mine constitute a risk to the health of Czechs living nearby due to air pollution and reduced groundwater supplies.
The ECJ upheld the Czech complaint and ordered Poland to immediately cease operations at the mine. But Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has refused to listen to the court, arguing that closing Turów would cost thousands of jobs and severely disrupt the country’s energy supply.
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