Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Greenpeace activists staged a protest at the Turów coal mine in Bogatynia occupying a large excavator and displaying banners demanding the closure of the mine Seventeen people spent the night on the machinery urging Prime Minister Donald Tusk to set a closure date and initiate a regional transformation plan stated the protest had no impact on energy production while emphasizing that Turów remains vital for Poland’s energy supply producing about 8% of the country’s electricity PGE highlighted ongoing efforts to transform the region including investments in renewable energy projects such as solar farms and energy storage solutions Aktywiści spędzili noc na urządzeniu do wydobycia węgla brunatnego w odkrywce Turów. Byli przygotowani: mieli namioty i ciepłe śpiwory. Nie byli przygotowani na to, że ktoś na terenie kopalni w nocy puszczał głośną muzykę?Ale są zdeterminowani, żeby przekaz trafił do @donaldtus pic.twitter.com/4EYoRNJWBp Source: IAE/PAP/Greenpeace Poland/X/@Greenpeace_PL which owns the Turow mine and adjacent power plant wrote in a statement.The present government has said it wants to kickstart the country's transition to lower carbon energy.Reporting by Alan Charlish Anna Koper and Karol Badohal; editing by Barbara Lewis and Aurora Ellis Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab , opens new tab Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. , opens new tabScreen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. © 2025 Reuters. All rights reserved Czechs and Germans who live in the shadow of the vast Turów mine claim it is an environmental menace Some in Poland want to weaponise its defence When the Czech government announced it was taking Poland to Europe’s highest court it came as a surprise to Warsaw Prague’s demand is a politically explosive one Not only is it challenging the extension of mining activity at Turów a vast lignite mine that has been in operation for nearly 100 years it also wants the European court of justice to order its immediate closure The Polish government vigorously disputes the environmental claims. Government officials in Warsaw and the state-owned utility company PGE, which owns Turów, also maintain they have been in regular consultation with Prague and that there was no reason to escalate the dispute But some on the Polish side concede that the souring of the relationship has as much to do with a communications breakdown as with the mine It’s a little bit our fault,” said Magdalena Kościańska a TV journalist in the Polish city of Bogatynia For the past 16 years Kościańska has been covering local news in her community and has never before seen such levels of abuse directed towards Czechs by fellow residents of Bogatynia A Hands off Turów Facebook page has appeared where news of the lawsuit triggered an outpouring of insults about Czech nationals we have friends among the Czechs and Germans,” she said the Czech government has applied to the European court for an injunction that would bring an immediate halt to mining in Turów Closing the mine would leave thousands of people in the region out of jobs and halve Bogatynia’s budget the region has been economically reliant on the coalmine even if the size of the workforce at the complex which includes a coal-fired electricity plant has fallen in recent years to about 3,600 employees The concession for the mine expires in 2026 but its operator has filed for a new concession to run for as long as Turów’s coal deposit lasts “Even the prospect of 2044 is scary for us which would be enough to conduct a transition that would be full safe and without negative consequences for the region,” Dobrołowicz said It's a little bit our faultEconomic forces mean the writing is on the wall for Turów much sooner “The whole complex will no longer be viable in less than 10 years,” said Robert Tomaszewski an energy analyst at Polityka Insight in Warsaw The EU’s commitment to reducing CO2 emissions by at least 55% by 2030 and to carbon-neutrality by 2050 makes it imperative to ditch coal for cleaner alternatives In the short term coal also faces growing pressure from skyrocketing prices on the European carbon emissions trading market, which in recent weeks exceeded €40 per tonne of CO2 The EU forces big polluters to compensate for their emissions by buying permits under the scheme. In 2019, lignite burned at Turów’s electricity plant pumped 5.5m tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere making it the fifth largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Poland limit Warsaw’s scope to provide support to struggling coal plants so the decline of the plant seems inevitable But this reality has not hit home in Bogatynia “I don’t know a single person who suggests closing the complex in 10 years,” said Kościańska adding that it was difficult for her to imagine the mine closing sooner than in 15 years’ time The consequences of closure would be dramatic We cannot even imagine itThe story of Turów is hardly unique Coal still generates most of Poland’s energy and many of its towns and regions rely on coal-heavy industries that EU climate policy will make obsolete But it illustrates a wider political dilemma The transition away from coal is accepted by Polish society as a whole – 78% of Poles agree that the climate crisis requires urgent action are fearful for their future prospects without coal And some politicians are only too happy to exploit those fears reluctantly signed up to higher emissions reduction goals at a European council meeting in December 2020 but his junior coalition partner – Solidarity Poland (SP) – dismissed the new targets and publicly accused Morawiecki of “defeatism” Excavators remove layers of earth to reach the lignite lying underneath the Turów open-pit mine Photograph: Omar Marques/Getty ImagesThe SP’s firebrand deputy minister Janusz Kowalski toured Poland and met miners’ unions in Turów and other places Kowalski lost his ministerial post in February but that did not end the tensions in government as the government faces a string of unpopular decisions from closing mines to announcing higher energy prices due to rising emissions costs “The green transition is a perfect issue to be weaponised by populists,” he said but these MPs punch far above their weight knowing that their exit from the coalition would deprive Morawiecki’s government of its majority That in turn would force the PM’s Law and Justice party to seek allies among opposition MPs or face early elections At the same time, the government cannot just give in to the SP’s demands and abandon its green commitments altogether. Poland is set to receive more than €139bn from the EU over the next seven years in exchange for reducing emissions. CO2 prices will continue to rise pushing coal out of the market regardless of decisions made in Warsaw The pressure from Poland’s neighbours over Turów, meanwhile, is growing. The German town of Zittau, which borders the mine region, launched its own complaint with the European commission in January. A study commissioned by the German branch of Greenpeace said continued operation of the mine threatened groundwater depletion The German Green MEP Anna Cavazzini has called on the government in Berlin to support the Czech lawsuit on the basis that the impact on the lives of communities in Saxony is “catastrophic” Morawiecki’s government is likely to put decisions on Poland’s energy transition on the backburner where possible This approach leaves people in places such as Turów even more vulnerable When the time to ditch coal for good eventually comes This article was amended on 30 March 2021 to replace an earlier map that mistakenly located the Turów mine in Germany Jun 24, 2023 | Politics Today saw all five of Poland’s main political groups hold major events in what media dubbed “Super Saturday” as campaigning for this autumn’s elections heats up The national-conservative ruling United Right (ZP) coalition focused its message on defending Poland’s sovereignty from EU “attacks” the government is threatening national security the far-right Confederation (Konfederacja) outlined plans to slash taxes and social spending; the Third Way (Trzecia Droga) alliance presented its “radical centrism” as an alternative to the PiS-PO “civil war”; and the Left (Lewica) further expounded a programme focused on supporting women Monthly averages of support for main political parties in opinion polls (via: ewybory.eu) “We have to fight a great battle for Poland,” said Jarosław Kaczyński chairman of the main ruling Law and Justice (PiS) at the United Right gathering in Bogatynia The small town of 16,000 was an unusual choice for a large rally Today’s event had initially been planned in Łódź However, in a last-minute change, the venue was switched to Bogatynia, which sits alongside Turów, a major coal mine and power plant that has been subject to domestic and European legal action from Poland’s neighbours “Turów has become a symbol of Polish resistance to the Berlin-Brussels diktat but also a symbol of Polish sovereignty in general,” said Zbigniew Ziobro justice minister and leader of PiS’s junior coalition partner Sovereign Poland (SP) — Prawo i Sprawiedliwość (@pisorgpl) June 24, 2023 Kaczyński, who returned to the government this week as deputy prime minister likewise declared that “what is happening around the mine is nothing more than an attack on our sovereignty” Poland “will be in the European Union The United Right convention also saw the continuation of recent criticism of plans to create a new EU system for redistributing migrants and asylum seekers Kaczyński blamed the migration crisis on the “Western elites” and warned that “we will defend ourselves we will not allow others to decide for us” Poland's ruling party has passed a parliamentary resolution condemning the EU's proposed migrant relocation scheme Its leader, Jarosław Kaczyński, also announced that a referendum will be organised to allow Poles to vote on the EU plan https://t.co/edUpKMiukC — Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) June 15, 2023 addressed a rally of thousands of supporters in the city of Wrocław is also located in the southwestern province of Lower Silesia at a time of insecurity beyond Poland’s eastern borders it was vital that the country retains good relations with its western neighbours “Anyone who declares war on the European Union and the West at this time threatens the interests of our homeland,” he said Regarding PiS’s decision to switch its conference to Bogatynia Tusk claimed that the failings of the coal mine there are due to the government’s own corruption and incompetence “In Bogatynia like in the rest of Poland what PiS cannot steal they will destroy,” he declared referring to allegations of nepotism in state companies “That is the definition of their rule.” 💬 Przewodniczący @donaldtusk👇 PiS w Bogatyni tak jak w całej Polsce – czego nie może rozkraść to zniszczy. To jest definicja ich rządów.#PolskaWNaszychSercach pic.twitter.com/zs4aKocVzM — PlatformaObywatelska (@Platforma_org) June 24, 2023 Confederation – one of the smallest groups in parliament but currently running third in the polls – held a convention at which it unveiled its “Constitution of Freedom” Krzysztof Bosak, one of the party’s leaders, said that their four main aims were to introduce simple and low taxes, to make social insurance payments for businesses voluntary, to reduce the price of housing by 30%, and to ensure that the right to use cash is protected in the constitution During a speech at today’s event, another of the party’s leaders, Sławomir Mentzen, pledged to end the additional pension payments introduced by the United Right government and not allow the payments from its flagship “500+” child benefit programme to be increased, as PiS recently proposed The far-right Confederation is now running third in the polls with double-digit support That raises the likelihood of it holding the balance of power after this year's elections and has led to renewed scrutiny of the views of its young new leader https://t.co/jrC2mmxENi — Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) April 2, 2023 Just outside Warsaw, in the town of Grodzisk Mazowiecki, the recently formed Third Way alliance held a convention at which one of its leaders said that the group offers a “radical centrism” beyond the traditional division between PiS and PO because it will end tragically,” added Kosiniuk-Kamysz a divided nation means insecurity,” agreed the alliance’s other leader The alliance was formed earlier this year between Kosiniuk-Kamysz’s agrarian Polish People’s Party (PSL) and Hołownia’s centrist Poland 2050 (Polski 2050) its support has recently been in danger of falling below the 8% vote threshold needed for coalitions to enter parliament #TrzeciaDroga z wiarą i odwagą – DO ZWYCIĘSTWA! 🇵🇱 pic.twitter.com/XgocurGUFW — Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz (@KosiniakKamysz) June 24, 2023 Finally, at an event in Warsaw, The Left – which is the third largest party in parliament but only currently the fifth most popular in the polls, with support of 7-8% – continued its recent focus on winning the votes of women A group of its female MPs outlined recent policy promises by the party to end the near-total ban on abortion and allow terminations on demand a Poland free of fear for women,” said Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus “Because a safe Polish woman is a safe Poland and that is our most important election promise.” The Left has proposed policies to improve women's safety changing the legal definition of rape and paid menstrual leave It also wants to end the conscience clause that allows doctors to refuse abortions on religious grounds https://t.co/MzUGFnfHdl — Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) June 16, 2023 Main image credit: pisorgpl/Twitter Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications , , Karol Nawrocki even suggested that the state security services were involved in creating the scandal , , The 1,200 square metre national symbol was unfurled on the beach in Międzyzdroje , , The proportion of Poles saying the US has a positive influence on the world has also fallen to its lowest recorded level Apr 30, 2025 | , , , That response will include “large Polish and NATO exercises in Poland” Apr 29, 2025 | , , , Those employed in Poland work on average the third-longest hours in the European Union Apr 28, 2025 | , , , , Westinghouse and Bechtel were first chosen in 2022 as partners on the 192 billion zloty ($51 billion) project please consider helping us to continue and expand it [email protected] Copyright © 2025 Notes From Poland | Design jurko studio | Code by 2sides.pl Senior Research Fellow at the Global Europe Centre ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Weronika Strzyżyńska is currently studying journalism at Goldsmiths as a Scott Trust Bursary recipient She  has written on issues immigration and Brexit for New Statesman and Prospect Agnieszka Wądołowska is managing editor of Notes from Poland She has previously worked for Gazeta.pl and Tokfm.pl and contributed to Gazeta Wyborcza ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland and assistant professor of history at the Pedagogical University of Krakow The Independent and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Stanley Bill is the founder and editor-at-large of Notes from Poland.He is also Senior Lecturer in Polish Studies and Director of the Polish Studies Programme at the University of Cambridge Stanley has spent more than ten years living in Poland He founded Notes from Poland in 2014 as a blog dedicated to personal impressions cultural analysis and political commentary He is committed to the promotion of deeper knowledge and understanding of Poland He is the Chair of the Board of the Notes from Poland Foundation ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Professor of European Studies at Oxford University ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Professor at the Institute of History of the Jagiellonian University ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Executive Director of Taube Family Foundation ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Associate Professor at the Institute of Political Studies of the Polish Academy of Science ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information “By extending the development consent for lignite mining in the Turow mine by six years without carrying out an environmental impact assessment, Poland infringed EU law,” Advocate General Priit Pikamaee of the EU Court of Justice said in a non-binding opinion on Thursday. Local tensions simmer amid a potato salad contest at the Czech-Polish borderSaveLocated in Bogatynia on Poland’s southwestern border with the Czech Republic and Germany the Turów coal mine and the adjacent Turów Power Station are responsible for thousands of local jobs and provide 5 to 7 per cent of Poland’s energy responsible for a host of environmental issues particularly the depletion of local groundwater In the short documentary Everything’s Fine these tensions come to something of a boiling point when Teresa Kruszyńska a Polish woman who works at the plant with her family decides to take the fight to a Czech potato salad contest In his unique portrait at the nexus of food the Polish director Piotr Jasiński captures the heated – and then cooled – culinary action in the Czech village of Heřmanice compete and connect over the subtleties of the beloved local dish Director: Piotr Jasiński EmailSavePostShareSavevideo Do button-pushing dogs have something new to say about language? 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