Poland refuses to close coal mine despite EU court ruling and € 0.5 million a day fine
Poland has announced that it will not close the Turov coal mine, despite the decision of the EU court, which imposed a fine on Warsaw in the amount of 500 thousand euros for each additional day of operation of the mine, starting September 21. About this reported by EuroActiv.
"Such a measure appears to be necessary to improve the effectiveness of the interim measures adopted in the judgment of May 21, 2021 and to deter this Member State from postponing the adjustment of its conduct in accordance with this judgment," said the Luxembourg-based Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).
The publication notes that this case is part of the legal action of the Czech government against Poland, since the Turov mine is located at the common border of the two countries of the bloc.
A lignite or brown coal mine has been operating for over 100 years, but only recently has it expanded towards the Czech border and has begun to influence the country's water supply.
The court decided in May this year that the mine should be closed, but Poland refused to comply with this decision.
The Czech government asks Poland to compensate for the cost of new sources of water supply and provide all information on the impact of the mine on groundwater. She also welcomes the imposition of penalties in Poland.
The Polish government said the punishment undermined ongoing negotiations and said the mine, the region's main source of jobs and electricity, will continue to operate.
"The fine imposed by the Court of Justice of the European Union is disproportionate to the situation and not justified by the facts," the Polish government said in a statement. “This undermines the ongoing process of reaching an amicable settlement.”
Deputy Minister of Justice of Poland Marcin Romanovsky went even further and called the decision "robbery and theft in broad daylight." "You won't get a cent," - wrote he's on his Twitter.