The Turów Brown Coal Mine in the shadow of an international conflict: Surveying the actions of the European Union Court of Justice and the populist policies of the Polish government

Abstract

This article analyzes the main dividing lines in the conflict over the future of the Turów opencast mine in the Turoszów Basin. Due to the lack of public consultations and the extension of the mine's operation regardless of its environmental impact, the Czech government filed a complaint against the policy of the Polish government to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) demanding that the mine be closed and its expansion stopped. In May 2021, the CJEU applied an interim measure pending final consideration of the case and ordered the mine to be closed. The current operation of the Turów mine may be a living social laboratory where it is possible to analyze all the challenges and conflicts in the absence of a planned energy transition plan agreed with all social partners. In addition to the governments of Poland and the Czech Republic, the parties to the conflict are the region's residents, mining trade unions, environmental organisations and residents of border towns on the Czech side, who have problems with access to water due to the operation of the mine.