2018-12-04 19:53 update: 2018-12-05, 17:55
As long as I am president I will not allow anyone to kill the Polish coal industry, President Andrzej Duda said on Tuesday at a Miners' Day gala in Brzeszcze, south Poland.
Duda stressed that the coal industry was one of the pillars of the Polish economy, an energy security mainstay and a guarantee that Poland will remain independent in the energy sphere.
Referring to the ongoing COP24 climate summit in the south-Polish industrial city of Katowice, Duda recalled his Monday address to the conference, in which he stressed that Poland will continue to base its economy on coal, although it was prepared to introduce an energy mix.
"This will not change. It (the economy - PAP) will continue to run on coal. Of course we will use an energy mix (...), but coal will remain in Poland. Please don't worry, as long as I'm president of Poland I will not allow anybody to kill the Polish coal industry," the president stated.
Duda admitted that climate protection measures were necessary, but noted that they should not impair economic growth. In this context he cited the COP24 conference's Just Transition declaration, which advocates environmental care "while taking into consideration the interests of people, their jobs and families."
Deputy PM Beata Szydło, a native of Brzeszcze, observed that environmental care should not take place at the cost of human living standards, and stressed that "in caring for the environment we must also care for people."
Deputy Energy Minister Grzegorz Tobiszewski said his ministry's programme for coal industry provided good openings for mining as it promised stability in the segment. (PAP)
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