Press Advisories

3. 2. 202215:36

The Prime Ministers of the Czech Republic and the Republic of Poland signed an agreement to address the impacts of mining activities at the Turów mine

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala received Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki at the Kramář Villa on Thursday, 3 February 2022. At their first meeting, the two statesmen discussed Czech-Polish relations and signed an interstate agreement on dealing with the impacts of mining activities at the Turów open-pit mine.

The dispute over the impact of the continuation of mining in the Polish brown coal mine on the environment in the border areas of the Czech Republic has disrupted the otherwise excellent relations between the two countries for the last six years or so. The signing of the Agreement between the Government of the Czech Republic and the Government of the Republic of Poland on cooperation to address the impacts of mining activities at the Turów open-pit brown coal mine in the Republic of Poland on the territory of the Czech Republic by the Prime Ministers of both countries, as well as the signing of the Donation Agreement between the Liberec Region and the PGE Foundation, signed by the Governor of the Liberec Region, Martin Půta, and the Director of the Turów brown coal mine branch, Sławomir Wochna, should put a definitive end to this dispute. On the eve of the signing, the final text of the agreement was approved by the Polish and Czech governments.

"In recent weeks, we have held intensive negotiations with Poland with the sole aim of securing an agreement that will be beneficial to our citizens and at the same time allow us to build on the high level of Czech-Polish relations that existed in the period before the Turów case. I am convinced that we have fulfilled this and, as a result, we were able to sign the agreement between the Czech Republic and Poland on dealing with the impacts of mining activities at the Turów open-pit mine a few moments ago. I think this is a great success: we have managed to roll away the boulder that has been weighing down Czech-Polish relations for the last few years," said Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala.

In the agreement, the Polish side undertook, among other activities, to complete and make fully functional the underground wall that should prevent further groundwater outflow from the Czech territory, to build an earthen wall to protect the inhabitants of nearby villages from noise, dust and light pollution, and to take measures to improve the air quality in the region concerned. A Small Projects Fund will also be in place until mining activities cease, which will finance local and regional environmental projects. The agreement includes financial compensation of EUR 45 million and five years of supervision by the CJEU.

"This agreement undoubtedly brings tangible benefits to the localities affected by the Turów mine and their inhabitants, which was our main objective. It is important for us that we will have access to all relevant data on mining activities, so that we will be able to react much earlier and better if a problem arises," said Prime Minister Fiala. "I would like to thank everyone who has participated in this. I would like to thank the Polish side and the Prime Minister personally, because without his active participation we would not have reached the final text of the agreement. I believe that the successful conclusion of these negotiations will open up space for dialogue on other issues between the Czech Republic and the Republic of Poland," the Czech Prime Minister added.

In addition to the signing of the agreement on the Turów mine, the Czech and Polish Prime Ministers also discussed other current issues. They discussed, among other things, the situation on the Ukrainian-Russian border, the international situation and energy policies in the European Union.

For more information, please see the press release of the Ministry of the Environment (in Czech language) and the press release of the Liberec Region (in Czech language).

The full text of the agreement between the Czech Republic and the Republic of Poland can be found at https://www.mzp.cz/web/web-news2.nsf/EB4B0E394778ED4EC12587DD006687E5/$file/Turow_CZ-PL%20dohoda.pdf (in Czech language).