The Czech Republic had sued Poland for environmental damage before the ECJ, which sentenced Poland to a daily fine of 500,000 euros in September.
(Photo: Reuters)
Brussels For the first time, the EU Commission is withholding certain financial resources for a member state because it does not comply with a ruling by the highest European court. The EU executive informed Poland on Tuesday that it would withhold payments from regular EU transfers to compensate for the first tranche of a fine imposed by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) that the country failed to pay. An EU representative explained that it was initially around 15 million euros.
The case is about the dispute over the Polish open-cast lignite mine in Turow near the Czech border. The Czech Republic had sued Poland for environmental damage before the European Court of Justice (ECJ), which in September ordered Poland to pay a daily fine of 500,000 euros. According to the ECJ, Poland must end opencast mining in Turow. The national-conservative government in Warsaw opposed this.
More: Poland’s President wants to settle the conflict with the EU
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