European Voice: A coal lobby in disguise

The proposal from Poland's prime minister, Donald Tusk, to “rehabilitate” coal in order to strengthen the European Union's energy security proves that Poland's push for an energy union is first and foremost a coal lobby in disguise.

Tusk is using the Ukrainian crisis to try to achieve the same goal that he had two years ago when Poland was vehemently vetoing an increase in the EU's climate targets: protecting Poland's failing coal industry.

Just two weeks ago, Poland's biggest coal mining company announced it would cut back production due to falling sales. Coal imports to Poland from Russia are growing, amounting to almost 7 million tonnes in 2013, more than 60% of Poland's total coal imports. Generous public financial aid schemes for coal-based power in Poland, which reached €40.5 billion between 1990 and 2012 according to a new report prepared by the Warsaw Institute for Economic Studies, has failed to reverse this trend because the industry is simply not competitive with foreign coal sources.

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