The main advantage is that coal is a cheaper energy source than the other fosile fuels (oil or gas). Therefore, industries en Eastern europe can decide to base their competitive strategy in saving production costs by using coal.
On the other hand, the usage of fosil fuels is not sustainable at all. They are the main causes of the greenhouse effect and of the global warming (the most serious environmental problems that manking is facing nowadays and will have to in the next decade). Moreover, they are limited resources, that can soon come to an end if they are not appropiately rationed.
For all these mentioned reasons, a production model based on fosile fuels cannot be the approach in the medium-long term.
