Sunday, September 27, 2020

Poland: A social agreement on mining will be presented by December 15


 By December 15 of this year a social agreement will be developed, that would regulate the functioning of the hard coal mining sector - assumes an agreement signed on Friday between the Silesian trade unions and the government. The contract will specify, among others the mechanism of financing the mining industry.

Related: Closure of hard coal mines by 2049

The final shape of the state's energy policy is also to depend on the content of the Social Agreement. According to the agreement the government will introduce a legislative change to exempt from the mandatory wholesale electricity sales on the commodity exchange - this means abolishing the so-called power exchange obligation.

Friday's agreement - as stated in its content - comes into force on the day of obtaining the consent of the European Commission for public aid, including subsidies to current production for the hard coal mining sector. It is precisely to obtain such consent that the Social Contract, which should be drawn up by mid-December, will be necessary.

“The contract will be presented to the European Commission and is necessary to obtain approval for granting state aid. The social contract will be signed by representatives of the government, the marshal of Silesian Voivodeship, trade unions and representatives of the management boards of mining companies. At the same time, an agreement will be prepared for the transformation of the voivodeship of Silesia, on which work will begin in October 2020. " - it was written in the Friday agreement.