EC accepts that coal mining can be subsidized

However, in order to ensure energy supplies, the European Commission has ruled that it is legal for a state to subsidize mining. "This would be useful for Poland," claimed EC representatives during a seminar in Katowice. "All analysis show that the share of coal as a source of energy will decline until 2015, to later increase because of rising gas prices," said Vincente Luque Cabal, the head of the General Directorate for Energy and Transport. However, Cabal added that Poland still has to work on restructuring its mining sector and take into account the social issues involved. (Rzeczpospolita, p. B2) A.K.