• Czech Coal Group
• Czech Coal a.s.
• Vršanská uhelná a.s.
• Litvínovská uhelná a.s.
• Dceřiné společnosti

The Group’s Membership and Work in Local and International Organisations and Associations

In 2009, the Czech Coal Group was a member of 36 organisations and associations, of which 31 were national and five international.

Czech Organisations

Among the Czech economic, business and trade associations and societies, it is important for the Czech Coal Group that it is a member of, in particular, the Confederation of Industry and Transport of the Czech Republic (SPČR), the Employers’ Association of Mining and Oil Industries of the Czech Republic (ZSDNP), the Mining Union, and the Association for District Heating of the Czech Republic. In SPČR and ZSDNP, the Czech Coal Group is represented on the management/executive boards, and in ZSDNP it chairs the International Relations Committee. In 2010, SPČR’s major activities included the specification of the priorities for the further development of the economy and of industry in Agenda 2010, which emphasised the need for secure, reliable and available energy. ZSDNP and also some other employers’ and business organisations expressed their strong support for SPČR’s appeal to prevent the forthcoming surge in electricity prices, which would have been a heavy burden for both businesses and households. In ZSDNP, the Group is actively involved in, for example, the project called the Strengthening of Bipartite Dialogue in Industries, specifically the Extractive Industry platform. In ZSDNP’s monthly periodical, Coal – Ores – Geological Exploration, the Group’s experts provide their views on the latest issues of the energy sector on an ongoing basis. As regards the projects pursued by the Mining Union, the Group can use, for example, the detailed materials of the European initiative on mineral resources, which sets out targeted measures for ensuring and improving access to mineral resources for the EU.

The Group cooperates, on a long-term basis, with the Association for District Heating, which brings together the interests of heat producers and distributors, customers, the general public, and the government under a single umbrella. The highlights of 2010 included, for example, free allocation of emission allowances to the heating industry, taxation of emission allowances in 2011 and 2012, and the requirement for the formulation of a long-term concept of the heating industry’s further development, including the provision of fuels, in particular indigenous brown coal. Long-term co-operation is also under way with the Association of Energy Managers (AEM), in which the Group is represented on the presidium. The main benefit of the Group’s membership of this Association is that it provides opportunities to comment on changes in the legal and pricing environment, because the Association facilitates contacts with public administration, and its opinions in public consultation procedures must be taken into account in the legislative process. As a member of the AEM, the Czech Coal Group has access to legislative proposals and to the statistics of the results disclosed by a large number of customers. The Czech Coal Group also contributes to AEM’s publication activities, primarily to specialised publications on energy topics.

It is important for the Czech Coal Group that it is a member of the Economic and Social Councils and of the Chambers of Commerce. In the Ústí nad Labem Region, the Group is represented on the Economic and Social Council of the Most District (HSRM) and the Economic and Social Council of the Ústí nad Labem Region (HSR-ÚK). The two Economic and Social Councils closely cooperate with a view to maintaining a well-balanced economic and social development of the Most District and Ústí nad Labem Region. The Economic and Social Council of the Ústí nad Labem Region is responsible for the co-ordination of efforts and for dealing with the Czech Government, Ministries, central administration authorities, Ústí nad Labem regional authorities and the self-government authorities in the district of Most, concerning the issues of the economic and social development of the region. In 2009, representatives of the Czech Coal Group took part in evaluating the 2000-2010 General Plan of Revitalisation of the Basin Areas in North-western Bohemia and in drafting the Stage II (2010-2015) of the General Plan of Revitalisation.

The key mission of the Chambers of Commerce is to support business activities. The Czech Coal Group is a member of the Chamber of Commerce of the Czech Republic (HK ČR), the Regional Chamber of Commerce of the Ústí nad Labem Region (KHK ÚK) and the Most District Chamber of Commerce (OHK Most). The main benefits of membership in the Chambers of Commerce include communication with the business community and political representatives in addressing relevant issues. The activities of the Environmental, Business and Education Section and the Energy Section of the Most District Chamber of Commerce, which responded flexibly to the topical issues, were much appreciated in 2009.

As to the professional organisations, the Czech Coal Group derives benefits from, for example, its membership of the Society of Mine Surveyors and Geologists (SDMG), which closely cooperates with the International Society for Mine Surveying. The Group is represented on the SDMG Board, and on the commission for mine instruments, aids and mapping. SDMG is organising its 18th conference in Prague in 2011. Other important memberships include that of the Surveyors and Mapmakers Chamber, which runs a project for the monitoring of the side slopes of the ČSA brown coal surface mine. It is also important that the Group is a member of the Association of Mechanical Engineers, in which the Czech Coal Group is represented on the Senate composed of the representatives of the largest and most important companies in the Czech Republic, and also a member of the Czech Calibration Association, which is very important mainly for KSK’s accredited calibration laboratory.

In the financial area, the Czech Coal Group is a member of the Czech Treasury Association, providing valuable information on financial management on a regular basis, and the Czech Leasing and Financial Association, which takes part in the drafting of legal regulations applicable to non-banking financial products and to the status of lease companies. The Czech Coal Group is also represented in the Czech branch of Austria’s Controller Institut, one of the most important educational and advisory companies in Central Europe in the fields of controlling, accounting, corporate finance and corporate strategy and management.

In the personnel area, the Czech Coal Group’s membership in the Czech Association of the Psychologists of Work and Organisation should be mentioned, which is helpful mainly for the personal growth of individuals and for the development of the society as a whole, and membership in the Personnel Managers’ Club, whose mission is to support human resources development and management to meet the interests of employers, employees and the society at large.

The Czech Coal Group is also represented on the Heat and Power Association of the Czech Republic, which supports the interests of heat generators and distributors and matches them with the interests of customers, the public and the state. The Group is also a member of the IPPC forum for Information Exchange, the Czech Standardisation Institute (its work group for environmental management) the Water Managers Association and other organisations.

International Organisations

Membership in the European Association for Coal and Lignite, EURACOAL, which provides an umbrella over the European coal industry, is important for the Group. Its mission is to promote the interests of the coal industry in the European energy policy and to contribute actively to creating a non-discriminatory Community framework for the coal industry. The Association currently consists of representatives of the coal and energy industries of 18 European countries. The Group is actively involved in EURACOAL’s work. It is represented on the Executive Committee, the Energy Policy Committee, and Environmental Committee. Petr Pudil, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Czech Coal a.s., is currently serving the second year of his term as EURACOAL President.

In 2010, the highlight of EURACOAL’s activities was the European Coal Days, which took place at the European Parliament and were attended by Günther Oettinger, Commissioner for Energy. The coal industry’s interests were continuously promoted at the EP’s coal roundtables (for example, support for CCS demonstration projects, the risk that the European industry will no longer be competitive due to the ambitious environmental goals, etc.) and also the annual Coal Dialogue with the EC and EP, which was dedicated to support for indigenous energy resources in 2010. As regards EU legislation, EURACOAL has significantly contributed to the inclusion into the IED of transitional national plans for large combustion plants, which allow an exemption from compliance with the new, more stringent SO2, NOx and dust limits for more than three years; as regards the allocation of free allowances for the district heating segment, a more favourable allocation has been achieved in respect of heat supply to households.

The Czech Coal Group was also involved in the activities of the Berlin Forum on Fossil Fuels, specifically its Indigenous Fossil Fuels Working Party, which mainly focused on exchanges of best practices in the coal industry.

Representatives of the Czech Coal Group take part on a regular basis in the Coal Dialogue, organised by EURACOAL in cooperation with the European Commission and the European Parliament. In 2009, this event already took place for the fifth time. It was focused on coal as a strategic energy source, position of coal in the world markets and the clean coal technologies in China. Czech Coal Group representatives participate in the every-year Coal Dialogue, organised by EURACOAL in cooperation with the European Commission and the European Parliament’s ITRE Committee (Committee on Industry, Trade, Research and Energy). In 2009, the Round Table discussions primarily focused on the European emission trading system (EU ETS), carbon capture and storage (CCS) and the draft directive on industrial emissions.

Within the EU, the Czech Coal Group is also represented on the Consultative Commission on Industrial Change (CCMI) of the European Economic and Social Committee, whose major themes addressed in 2009 included, for example, the need for raw materials to meet the need for economic growth and employment in Europe. However, owing to the economic crisis, primary attention was focused on the impacts of the crisis on European industry and services. Opinions were drawn up in respect of the impact of financial crisis on the automotive, glass and ceramic industry, the effects of private capital funds, hedge funds and state-owned funds on industrial changes, and the implementation of flexicurity in restructuring plans.

The Group also engages in the activities of the working group of the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control System (IPPC, Seville Process) for the mining industry sector, which prepares the Best Available Technique Reference Notes (BREF), describing the Best Available Techniques (BAT). Their purpose is to achieve a high level of environmental protection and to prevent pollution. At the national level, the information which is obtained so is actively used by the BAT information exchange technical groups, established by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Ministry of the Environment, and Ministry of Agriculture, and serves also in publication activities.

Importance is also attached to the Czech Coal Group’s representation on the European Commission’s Working Group on Standardisation, which is preparing a technical document describing the characteristic properties of waste under EU Directive on the management of waste from extractive industries. The document has reached the final stage at which technical guidelines will be prepared.