Thuringia against the federal government: Millions of dispute over potash costs will be decided tomorrow!

Thuringia against the federal government: Millions of dispute over potash costs will be decided tomorrow!

Springen, Thüringen, Deutschland - Thuringia is the focus of a explosive legal dispute that affects the financing responsibility for the security work on disused Kali pits. Every year, the country is investing several million euros to defuse environmental hazards from the past and secure the stability of the pits. The Thuringian state government is now calling for the federal government's participation in these costs. A decisive trial will take place on June 26, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. in front of the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig, where the future distribution of costs will be decided. It remains to be seen whether a judgment will be made on this day.

The prominent participation of Environment Minister Tilo Kummer underlines the importance of the procedure for Thuringia. For many years, the country has been fighting the sole responsibility for securing these contaminated sites that come from the time of the GDR mining. With a view to the general contract for cost division concluded in 1999, the lawsuit aims at initiating renegotiations. Thuringia is forced to do preliminary work since 2017 and argues that the forecast costs in the contract were set far too low. The federal government used to release mining companies from the security costs, but the funds provided are now exhausted.

high loads for the state finances

a year the costs for the security work in the pits and Merkers add up to an impressive 16 to over 20 million euros. These payments go to the Kali+Salz mining group, which takes over the backup in the contaminated sites. The need for this work should not be underestimated: they are crucial in order to prevent cavities to break down by the potash mining in the GDR and to remove the dangers from water slumps, as they were found in jumping.

The Thuringian government is not alone; In other federal states such as Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, cheaper clauses were determined as part of their contaminated general contracts, which offer greater financial security. In this context, Kummer emphasizes that the ecological follow -up costs are not exclusively responsibility in the country. These loads now make up around 10% of the budget of the ministry.

The long way to clarify

The lawsuit is directed against the Federal Real Estate Agency, the successor to the former Federal Institute for the Contaminated Load Section (BVS). The procedure will not only be important for Thuringia, but also for the future handling of similar cases. Kummer is optimistic that the federal government will return to the table and that the cost sharing will be negotiated in order to equalize the financial burden of the country. But whether this succeeds is still open.

Today's negotiation could have far -reaching consequences. Thuringia not only has to finance the security work, but also find a solution for the contaminated sites of the past, which are far from clarifying. Whatever the decision of the court, it will certainly have deep effects on environmental policy and finance in Thuringia. The country remains excited about the judgment that could possibly initiate a new course.

Comprehensive information on this topic can be found at antennethueringen.de and borkenerzeitung.de .