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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
President Karol Nawrocki has signed into law a government bill that makes it easier to close down coal mines and provides severance pay of 170,000 zloty (€40,290) for affected workers. The measures are seen as a key part of Poland’s transition towards cleaner forms of energy.
The decision – which marks a rare moment of agreement between the government and opposition-aligned president – was welcomed by the Solidarity trade union, which represents many miners. It says the law will help protect miners amid the planned phasing out of coal over the coming decades.
Dziękuję Prezydentowi @NawrockiKn za wsłuchanie się w głos Solidarności i zapowiedź wystąpienia z inicjatywą zmiany ustawy o funkcjonowaniu górnictwa węgla kamiennego. Górnicy liczą na sprawiedliwość i na to, że niezależnie od zakładu, w którym pracują, zostaną objęci nowelizacją https://t.co/sjcjmgrCxs
— Piotr Duda (@DudaSolidarnosc) December 15, 2025
Poland is Europe’s most coal-dependent country, with the fossil fuel accounting for 57% of power generation last year. While there has been a gradual shift away from coal, this has been accompanied by concerns about the impact it will have on mining communities.
When approving the bill in October, the government said that the measures would “pave the way for a just transition in mining regions” by “providing real support for thousands of miners”.
The law allows mining companies to decommission mines independently but with state financial backing. It also introduce a package of protective benefits for workers at companies that are closing mines, including tax-free severance payments of 170,000 zloty (€40,000).
The plan foresees five mines closing within the next decade and a complete phase-out of thermal coal mining by 2049.
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The legislation was approved by parliament earlier this month, with the ruling coalition, which ranges from left to centre right, voting in favour. However, most of the more coal-friendly opposition – the national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) and far-right Confederation (Konfederacja) – abstained from voting.
That prompted criticism of the opposition from Solidarity, Poland’s largest trade union, which said that it was vital for the law to come into force this year to avoid “catastrophic consequences” for coal companies and to ensure protection for workers.
“The fate of tens of thousands of workers” depends on the measures, said the union.
On 1 January, liquidation of the Bobrek coal mine is due to begin, as well as a merger of the Bielszowice and Halemba Ruda mines, notes news website Interia.
The government's majority in parliament has approved a bill intended to facilitate the move away from coal by offering payments to miners who lose their jobs
The right-wing opposition largely abstained from voting, prompting criticism from a miners' union https://t.co/lkPO0X0oRE
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) December 5, 2025
Miners’ support for the bill played a key role in Nawrocki’s decision. Presidential minister Karol Rabenda said that, although “the law is not ideal”, by signing it Nawrocki had fulfilled his “promise to miners” made on 5 December, which is Poland’s annual Miners’ Day.
Solidarity welcomed the president’s decision, saying it had been “eagerly awaited” by the coal industry. “The gradual reduction of employment in the mining industry, supported by public funds, is one element of the transformation process of the mining sector,” they added.
Dominik Kolorz, head of Solidarity in the Silesian-Dąbrowa region, home to many coal mines, once again criticised “those [opposition] MPs who tried to create political drama around this bill”. He said that they “should learn from the president how a responsible politician behaves”.
Nawrocki has previously been supportive of coal, which he has called Poland’s “black gold”. During his election campaign, he said that he “cannot imagine closing Polish mines” until Poland has a nuclear power plant. The country is preparing to build its first reactor, but it will not come online for over a decade.
Polish coal is costly and polluting. But its powerful symbolism has kept the country and its politicians hooked on the "black gold".@AlicjaPtak4 explores coal’s past, present and future in Poland https://t.co/E6IhQ64aGC
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) August 14, 2025
The energy ministry also welcomed the fact that the law will now go into force on 1 January. “This is a step toward a safe, phased and just transformation of mining in Poland,” it wrote on social media.
Poland’s mining sector has been struggling in recent years. Polish coal is among the most expensive in the world to get out of the ground. Burning it causes significant emissions, which bring costs under the EU Emissions Trading System.
Eurostat data show that Polish households have the EU’s third-most expensive electricity, when taking countries’ costs of living into account.
But Poland’s coal industry – with its long history and powerful unions – has long enjoyed political influence and public support. It is propped up by the state: to the tune of 9 billion zloty this year and an estimated 5.5 billion in 2026.
According to the ministry’s impact assessment, the cost of closing hard coal mines under the new bill over the next decade will reach 11.3 billion zloty.
Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
Main image credit: Łukasz Błasikiewicz/KPRP
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
