WARSAW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd October, 2021) Polish miners and trade union activists rally in front of the European Court of Justice headquarters building in Luxembourg on Friday to protest the court's order to close down the Turow coal mine.
In May, the EU court fulfilled the demand of the Czech Republic and ruled that the Turow mine, located near the Czech border, must be shut down as a potential threat to the Czech water supplies. In September, the court obligated Warsaw to pay Prague $581,777 of compensation every day until the mining operations are fully stopped.
"If they want to close us, then we close the EU сourt. I have made this decision unilaterally," Wojciech Ilnicki, the chairman of the Polish trade union Solidarnosc of the Turow coal mine, said.
Ilnicki added that after the rally in front of the EU Court building, the trade unions would head to the Czech Embassy in Luxembourg.
"We do not like what oligarch Babis (Czech Prime Minister) has done, worsening the relations between our countries, between the neighbors, in his personal interests," a trade union activist said.
The authorities of Luxembourg sanctioned the demonstration of Polish trade unions in front of the EU Court building.
Poland has been holding its ground that it can not afford closure of Turow, as the country will face the loss of 7% of its energy market. Warsaw also offered compensation to Prague as a compromise to continue mining operations.
