Mining has had a long tradition in Poland. The current extraction of some minerals (hard coal, lignite, copper ore, lead and zinc ores, sulphur and numerous rock raw materials) is at a high level not only in realation to the EU, but also when compared to other parts of the world. The functioning and development of the mining industry in Poland is based on large mineral resources, modern equipment and services supporting mining activities, scientific and design institutions, as well as higher education specialised in the area of mining.
The above mentioned opportunities stimulate increasing interest in Polish mining among scientific, business and technical communities abroad, as well as interest in Polish mining education among European youth, particularly from EU countries.
This manual, presenting a compendium of knowledge about Polish mining, was written in English in order to inform interested parties abroad about geological and mining activity in Poland.
Particular chapters include information about:
– Geography, the economy and political system,
– Mineral deposits,
– Mineral extraction, their export and import,
– The structure and organisation of the mineral industry, administrative and scientific institutions,
– Legal regulations in the geological and mining field,
– Procedures for obtaining a licence for prospecting, exploration and extraction of mineral deposits,
– Environmental impact assessment,
– Fees and fines connected with geological and mining activity,
– Procedures for the planning of mining activity as an element of spatial planning,
– Positive (best practises) and negative experiences in Polish geological and mining activity.
The contents and arrangement of this manual refer in some scope to 'The Study of Mineral Planning Policies in Europe. Country Report of Poland’, completed in 2004, which was requested by the Industry Council and the Commission of the EU. The present manual was adjusted for teaching needs.
Those interested in finding more detailed information should consult the resources mentioned in this manual. The main sources of information presented here are legal regulations 7 Introduction and statistical data. Data concerning both legal regulations and statistical information is current. The latest statistical data was published in various yearbooks in 2004 or 2005. However, the legal acts are from January 2006.
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Introduction 7
1. General information about Poland 11
1.1. Territorial divisions of the country 15
1.2. Political system 16
2. Mineral industry 22
2.1. Geology 22
2.2. Production and employment 31
2.3. Imports and exports 34
2.4. The structure and organisation of the mineral industry 39
2.5. Research and technological development 41
3. Mineral policy 44
3.1. Legislation relevant to mineral activity 46
3.2. The ownership of minerals 50
3.3. Processes and procedures for obtaining mineral rights 52
3.4. Prospecting and the exploration of mineral deposits 58
3.5. Extraction 62
3.5.1. Licence for mineral extraction 68
3.5.2. Designing and building of a mining plant 71
3.5.3. Mining plant operations 73
3.5.4. Closure of a mining plant 75
3.5.5. Reclamation and redevelopment of mining sites 75
3.6. Fees and fines 81
4. Land use planning 86
4.1. Sustainable development in land use planning 86
4.2. The geological data bases and archives 86
4.3. The system of land use in Poland 87
4.4. Geological – mining activities in the light of the Act on Land Use Planning and Space Management 94
4.5. Conception of the country’s land use plan 95
4.6. Voivodship land use plan 96
4.7. Local land use plan 96
5. Evaluation of the sustainable mineral supply 103
5.1. The best practises to ensure a sustainable mineral supply 103
5.2. A question of improvement 112
6. Conclusion 114
Sources 115
Appendix 117