People who oppose the planned construction of an electric car battery factory have been collecting signatures for a referendum in Plzeň for three weeks. They are demanding that the city not provide land at the army reserve airport in Líně, where the Volkswagen (VW) car company is considering building a CZK 120 billion gigafactory. The collection of signatures for the plebiscite will last until mid-September and will take place every Monday and Wednesday from 14:00 to 18:00. So far, there are about 1,000 signatures on the petition sheets, but about 14,000 are needed to call the referendum, i.e. ten percent of the people over the age of 18 who permanently live in Plzeň. Jitka Walterová, a volunteer at the stand collecting signatures for the referendum.
According to Martin Klimes, a member of the preparatory committee, the 20 or so citizen volunteers who are collecting signatures at the stand are also handing out blank sheets so that people can distribute them in their neighbourhood or at work. Several dozen people signed the sheets in two hours.
“I wouldn’t wish such a project on anyone, even in another country, because it has a big impact on the environment. It also bothers me a lot that the Lina airport, where the ambulance service operates, should be demolished,” Walter said. In addition, she said, Pilsen already has one of the largest industrial zones in the country, Borská pole, which already employs half foreigners and they cannot find specialists there.
The city has not yet contacted the organisers. “A councillor stopped by and asked about the background. But we are not politically involved. This is purely a civic activity,” Walter said. She said the city, whose leadership has so far rejected the gigafactory, could speak out more against the project.
The organisers of the petition are talking to citizens in the centre of Pilsen and offering them arguments, which are also written on the walls of the stand. The organizers will try to link up with other protest activities that Walter says have the same goal – to prevent the planned construction and demolition of the airport. “The referendum has already been held in Nová Ves, which has temporarily blocked its land, signatures against the construction are being collected in Zbůch, and an anti-wave is also forming in Dobřany,” she said.
The state, which supports VW’s investment, wants to build a strategic business park (SPP) at the airport in Líně. Last July, the government set out the key buildings at the site and is prepared to spend CZK 9 billion on them. VW is expected to decide soon whether to choose the Czech Republic for the investment. Industry Minister Jozef Síkela (STAN) told ČTK in May after a meeting with neighbouring municipalities in Dobřany that the final agreement between the Czech Republic and VW should be concluded by this December. At that time, he offered the mayors to establish a joint venture that would influence the development of SPP. The government, in agreement with the surrounding municipalities, recently approved the reduction of the SPP to 280 hectares from the original 700 hectares. The air ambulance service, which until now has been based at the airport in Líně, will remain fully operational for the region and will maintain the same standard for locals as before, Industry and Trade Minister Jozef Síkela (STAN) said two weeks ago.
Source: CTK
