Environment minister Schulze reiterates opposition to coal mine expansion

Germany’s environment minister Svenja Schulze has reiterated her opposition to the clearing of Hambach Forest for the expansion of a nearby lignite mine while the country’s coal exit commission discusses the end of the fossil fuel in Germany, the Westdeutsche Zeitung reports. Schulze responded to criticism by mining labour union IG BCE, which said the minister’s call for a moratorium was inappropriate as the commission’s task was to find long-term solutions for coal and not debate short-term business activities by energy companies. The minister said that it should be respected by everyone involved that the Hambach Forst had a symbolic meaning to many people – “we should take this serious and look for a way towards societal consensus,” Schulze told IG BCE head Michael Vassiliadis in a letter, the newspaper says.

Read the article in German here.

See the CLEW article Logging row continues to weigh on coal commission’s work for background and CLEW’S Commission watch for constant updates on the body’s work.