Poland, Czech Republic To Continue Talks Over Controversial Coal Mine Next Week - Warsaw

WARSAW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th September, 2021) Poland and the Czech Republic will continue their negotiations regarding the controversial Turow coal mine next week, Polish Undersecretary of State Pawel Jablonski said on Friday.

Earlier in the day, delegations from the two countries met in Prague to discuss ways to settle the dispute over Poland's open-pit coal mine that is said to be disrupting the water supply to Czech communities.

"Another round of the Polish-Czech negotiations has concluded. At the end of the day, we can say that we have made certain progress during these talks. At the same time, we cannot say that the issue has been settled. We will continue these talks next week," Jablonski told the state-run broadcaster Polish Television.

The official went on to say that Warsaw does not want to damage its relations with Prague over the dispute, but also admitted that the talks were challenging.

The Czech Republic filed a complaint about the Polish coal mine with the European Union court earlier this year, saying that the mining works are affecting the quality of water in Czech territory across the border from the mine. In May, the court ordered Poland to stop mining immediately, but Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki refused to comply.

On Monday, Europe's top court ruled that Poland must pay 500,000 Euros ($585,000) every day until the coal mine is shut down.