Thuringia in court: Who pays the potash costs? Decision is on!

Thuringia in court: Who pays the potash costs? Decision is on!

Leipzig, Deutschland - Thuringia faces a decisive court date: On June 26, 2025, the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig will negotiate whether the country must continue to carry the sole cost burden on securing work on decommissioned potash pits. The financial burdens are enormous and amount to up to over 20 million euros annually, which flow to the Kali+Salz mining group in order to renovate extensive contaminated sites from the time of the GDR. This work is necessary to avoid potential collapse through the cavities that result from the potential mining. According to Antennen Thuringia, the outcome of the upcoming judgment is uncertain, but Environment Minister Tilo Kummer hopes for a return of the federal government after the previous contracts as insufficient become.

Thuringia has been in advance since 2017, since the cost forecasts from a general contract with the Federal Institute for Special Tasks, which is concluded in 1998, do not approximately cover the actual financial effort. While originally from 675 million euros was assumed for the urgently needed security work, the actual costs are now estimated at an estimated 750 million euros. Kummer emphasizes the scope of this topic for the country: "The payments represent a massive financial burden that constitutes about 10% of our annual activity in the ministry," he explains.

The dispute over financing

Thuringia complained in order to achieve a federal participation in the renovation costs, but this concern was dismissed. The Federal Constitutional Court found that Thuringia could not prove that there was a constitutional obligation to assume costs. A similar request from Saxony was also rejected, as reported by the [world] (https://www.welt.de/regionales/thueringen/article248912284/richt-sagt-nein-thueringen-lebet-auf-kali-Kali-Kali-Kali-Kali-Kali-Kali. The position of the federal government, which does not consider the current action points to be sufficient, is heavily criticized by Thuringian politicians.

Minister Tilo Kummer plans to put the topic on the agenda again, since the annual costs for the security work in the pits jump and Merkers are 16 to over 20 million euros. The district association of the Greens in Thuringia urges the federal government to finally take responsibility again. Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt already have more advantageous clauses in their contaminated general contracts, which provide for a better cost for suspected contaminated sites.

The concerns about the future

Thuringia speaks not without reason of impending “eternity costs”. The problem is tightened by additional difficulties, such as jumping in the pit. This shows again how important a quick clarification in the financing question is - not only for the country itself, but also for the future environment. Thuringia's Environment Minister Bernhard Stengele clearly positions himself when it says: "The costs for the elimination of contaminated sites must not be borne solely by the country." The pressure on the federal government is increasing, because responsibility for the former state companies of the GDR in need of renovation remains an unsolved problem.

While the court will make a final decision, it remains to be seen whether Thuringia finally gets the support it needs. The current situation is not only a financial, but also an ecological dilemma that could significantly influence the future of the region.