“Polish mines are safe, but not only because we managed to win a ‘methane’ compromise in the European Parliament,” says Izabela Kloc in an interview with the wPolityce.pl portal.
The European Parliament supported the compromise amendments on the methane regulation. We asked Izabela Kloc for her opinion on this issue, who has been fighting for solutions favorable to Poland in this case.
wPolityce.pl: What exactly did you manage to win?
Izabela Kloc, MEP for Law and Justice: To understand what was at stake, it is worth following the chronology of work on the “methane” regulation in the EU institutions. The start of this legislative process did not bode well for Poland. The European Commission has tabled a proposal in the spirit of the radical Fit for 55 package. Brussels wanted the allowed emission threshold in mines to be 0.5 tons of methane per 1,000 tons of coal extracted. This would be a catastrophe for the Polish mining industry, as we do not have the technological capabilities to adapt to such strict standards. As a result, most of the mines would be liquidated by 2027. There was a slight optimism about the position of the Council of the European Union. Member State governments have managed to exceed the 5-tonne methane mark. It is worth remembering that this was a huge negotiating success for Poland, because we have practically no coal allies in the European Union. After the decisions of the Commission and the Council, it is time for the European Parliament to take a position. The initial situation was not favorable for Poland. When I became shadow rapporteur for the “methane” regulation in my Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, some colleagues congratulated me, but some sympathized because they did not give a chance to push through favorable solutions for Poland. The opponent was very difficult. Jutta Paulus from Germany, representing the Greens, was the rapporteur for the regulation. As expected, it maintained the European Commission’s extremely unfavorable proposal of 0.5 tonnes of methane per 1,000 tonnes of coal. Many commentators gave this option the best chance, but a miracle happened, or rather, the hard and painstaking work to find allies for a compromise on methane began to yield results. I have convinced many influential MEPs, such as Jens Geier, the German shadow rapporteur for the Group of Socialists and Democrats. As a result, a breakthrough took place at the meeting of MEPs involved in the draft methane regulation. A compromise was reached that allows for the emission of 5 tonnes of methane, ie ten times more than the European Commission and some political groups in the European Parliament demanded. In addition, this indicator must be calculated for the operator, ie an economic unit such as Polska Grupa Górnicza, which gives our companies quite a lot of room for manoeuvre. Importantly, it was also possible to introduce a provision allowing interested Member States to replace the imposed fines with a system of emission charges. This returns the money to the operators for the implementation of projects that reduce methane emissions. Such a project was submitted to the plenary vote of the European Parliament. As many as 499 MEPs voted wisely, responsibly, in the spirit of EU solidarity.
How will the EP’s decision affect Poland?
Dominik Kolorz, the leader of the Silesian Dąbrowa “Solidarity” put it well in a press statement: “The Methane Ordinance in the version adopted by the European Parliament is still a burden for the mining industry, but it no longer contains provisions that mean a death sentence.” The 5-tonne limit is exorbitant given the current technological capabilities of the Polish mines, but the agreement contains a whole range of detailed solutions that are beneficial to us. First of all, they allow us to look with optimism at the continuous implementation of the social contract between the government and the social side, which regulates the exploitation of mines until 2049.
Almost all Polish MEPs voted in the same way. What does this fact mean?
I always urge deputies from other factions to bury the hatchets in matters critical to our national interest, forget about domestic disputes and vote as required for the good of Poland. When working on the “methane” scheme, this trick was successful. It is necessary to strongly emphasize the responsible – beyond political division – attitude of Polish MEPs from the groups of European Conservatives and Reformists, the European People’s Party and Socialists and Democrats. I would like methane not to become a precedent, but the beginning of new standards of cooperation between Polish MEPs. Will that happen? I would like to be an optimist, but I fear that the negative domestic emotions associated with the upcoming election campaign will influence attitudes in the European Parliament.
Can we say Polish mines are safe?
Polish mines are safe, but not only because we managed to win a “methane” compromise in the European Parliament. The rule of law and justice is the best guarantee for our mining industry. We are a party that puts energy security high on the national agenda. If we start accepting the idea of closing mines in Poland, it is like accepting that we will not have our own energy sector. Let’s remember what energy mix we have. About half of the energy is produced from coal, more than 23 percent from coal. from lignite, and renewable energy sources represent only 18 percent in this list. The mine closure schedule until 2049 is not an accidental document, but the result of very careful research, predictions and simulations. Our mines will be safe as long as the Polish government puts energy sovereignty first.
Is publicizing the battle on such issues a recipe for breaking the monopoly of the majority in the European Parliament?
It is true that the ‘methane’ regulation has created unexpected friction within the majority stakeholder in the European Parliament. The red-green-rainbow bloc has so far been so powerful and influential that the socialists and the European People’s Party have often succumbed to its narrative. Perhaps, thanks to the methane debate, some EU politicians have finally come to realize that they have gone too far in climate radicalism. I don’t think this is another game changer, but a harbinger that breaking the current monopoly of European power is possible. This will not happen in this parliamentary term, but next year’s elections to the European Parliament may surprise us positively and give Europeans a breath of freedom and hope to reverse the process of negative change symbolized by radical climate policies.
note T.K
Source: wPolityce