ČPŽP 60

vědecká TÉMAta

2/2021

Summary The Turów coal mine (Polish: Kopalnia Węgla Brunatnego Turów S.A. ), is a largeopenpitmineinthesouthwestofPoland, locatedoutsideBogatyniaCity,Lower Silesia, near by the Czech border. It´s situated 80km east of Dresden, Germany, and 20 km northwest of Liberec, Czech Republic. The mine’s license was set to expire in April 2020, but in March 2020, the Polish government extended it by another six years. The Polish government agreed toPGEGroup’s wish to continuemining at the site until 2044. PGEGroup’s move to expand the mine is facing opposition from the Czech government, as nearby Czech and German communities say that the environmental impact from the mine is severely affecting their quality of life. In February 2021, the Czech Republic sued Poland over the mine at the European Court of Justice, the first time that an EU member state had sued another one over an environmental issue. This article summarizes the development and provides a legal analysis of the whole dispute.

Key words: Turów coal mine; mine’s license; environmental impact assessment, Water Frame Directive; European Court of Justice

♠♠

68

ČESKÉ PRÁVO ŽIVOTNÍHO PROSTŘEDÍ