‘Signing an agreement on the Turów coal mine is fundamentally important to us from a strategic point of view,’ said Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in Prague. ‘Today we start a new chapter in Czech-Polish relations, looking into the future with optimism. We need this as neighbours and as countries that form the eastern flank of the EU and NATO,’ he explained.

Turów coal mine and power plant will be able to continue their operations

The agreement creates a stable mechanism that binds both the Polish and the Czech sides. This ensures that the Turów coal mine and power plant will be able to continue their operations. In this way, we have permanently saved a very important element of Poland’s energy security, as without today’s agreement, the operation of the mine would not be given additional legal protection. 

Moreover, the agreement also allows us to help people in the region by protecting them from losing their jobs. We will introduce additional mechanism to ensure clean air and access to water and to better protect the environment on both sides of the border. 

‘I would like to thank Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki because without his active participation, we would not have been able to work out the final wording of the agreement and achieve such a successful outcome,’ emphasized the head of the Czech government Petr Fiala.

Agreement on the Turów power plant

Poland and the Czech Republic signed an agreement under which they undertook to cooperate on the financing of measures to detect, minimise and prevent (and also monitor) impacts of the exploitation of and subsequent reclamation works in the Turów coal mine and the implementation of such measures in the Czech Republic.

Both countries decided to amicably solve the dispute over the expansion of operations in the Turów coal mine that reached the Court of Justice of the European Union. As a result of the agreement signed, the Czech Republic agreed to withdraw the action brought before the CJEU.

The concluded agreement also provides, among other things, for the establishment of the Polish-Czech Fair Transformation Committee, including the representatives of local governments. The Committee will develop a strategy of fair transformation for the region. 

What is important, the deal negotiated by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki is much more beneficial to Poland than the original version of the agreement proposed by the Czech Republic.   

Polish-Czech negotiations

The agreement on the Turów mine was the subject of intense talks between Poland and the Czech Republic. From 16 June 2021, as many as 19 negotiation meetings were held in which a special team consisting of the representatives of the Minister of State Assets, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister for European Union Affairs, and the Minister of Climate and Environment participated. 

The last negotiation meeting, which was also the first meeting with the representatives of the new Czech government, took place on 18 January in Warsaw. 

Restoration of relations between Poland and the Czech Republic
 
After difficult months of negotiations with the previous Czech government, we managed to very quickly reach an agreement with the new cabinet of Petr Fiala. We have many common interests with the Czech Republic, especially in the area of security, including energy security. The resolution of the dispute over the Turów coal mine allowed us to focus on good cooperation in many other strategically important areas. 

Thanks to the concluded agreement, we can build a strong Czech-Polish alliance anew. This is important not only for our countries, but also for the stability of the entire region. When security in Central Europe is compromised and Ukraine is the target of Russian escalation, cooperation between allies is of paramount importance.