Today people from the initiative “Limity jsme my!” (We are the boundaries of the mining!”) symbolically cleaned up the Prague residency of Energy and industry holding (EPH) from the dirt, that company gathered in its history. Some 15 activist dressed like cleaning ladies (and cleaning gentlemen) entered the hall of EPH building and stared to try to clean its invisible corporate dirt. The slogan of the action was: „Our business is clean. As coal. EPH“.
EPH owned by Czech tycoon Daniel Křetínský agreed to buy opencast lignite mines and coal power plant in Lausitz from Swedish state owned company Vattenfall, nevertheless transfer must be confirmed by government in Sweden. People from the initiative “Limity jsme my!” believe, that Swedish government will not sell the mines to company, whose owners housed in the tax haven and that was fined from European commision in 2012 because of the obstruction during antitrust investigation. Moreover EPH already bought coal mines and power plants in Germany. Due to peculiar process of the trade is the chef of subsidiary company Mibrag nowadays investigated by police.
Participants of the action entered the EPH residency shortly after lunch. Thanks to detergents they tried to cleaned up the company from the dirty business, that EPH led in the past. They believe, that Swedish government should not sell the mines and power plant to company, that do not meet the high business standards respected in Sweden.
Josef Patočka from the initiative Limity jsme my said: „By our opinion EPH owned by Křetínský has a doubtful and irresponsible history. They likes to make money at the expense of society and nature. We appeal to Swedish government to not sell the Vattenfall mines and power plants so untrustworthy company. Lusatian coal should stay in the ground – as homes of local people, endangered by expansion of the mines, should stay on the surface.”
