On Thursday 24 November, the European Commission announced that it has authorised Romanian plans to grant aid in the region of €99 million to ensure the orderly closure of two uncompetitive coal mines by 2018. The decision to close public coal mines is a matter for member states, but EU rules (in particular a decision of the Council) allow them to grant support for the closure of uncompetitive mines in order to offset the social and environmental consequences. Financial support of around...