"Colombia's Constitutional Court has issued a landmark ruling on the closure of coal mines in the country : A Call for Corporate Accountability", 12 February 2025

...Ruling T-029 of 2025 establishes a fundamental precedent by guaranteeing due process and the effective participation of communities and unions affected by the closure of large-scale mining operations...

The ruling mandates the creation of a “Gran mesa de concertación”, a large roundtable for consultation. 

The purpose of this roundtable is to ensure citizen participation, so that workers and local communities have a meaningful role in defining the measures that the multinational Glencore-Prodeco must adopt within its mine closure plan. This plan is currently under review by Colombia's National Authority of Environmental Licenses (ANLA).

The Court has determined that previous corporate-led consultations were inadequate, reinforcing concerns that multinational corporations often dictate the pace and terms of transition, sidelining workers and local populations.

Additionally, the Court found that the Seventh Administrative Court of Valledupar violated the right to a due process. This Court accepted a single, insufficient consultation meeting in 2022 as compliance with community participation requirements. 

This case highlights the need for stronger oversight from European governments and financial institutions to ensure that corporate-led mine closures align with international labor and environmental standards...