Poland is failing to stop mining in the Turów mine

According to the EU court, Poland is to pay a daily fine of half a million euros for failing to stop mining in the Turów mine. The sanction is to apply until he obeys the spring court order and finishes the work in the mine. The Polish government said that mining would continue. The court issued a preliminary decision to stop mining in May after a Czech lawsuit, according to which the mine threatens, among other things, drinking water supplies in Czech municipalities. However, Poland refused to comply with the order and asked the court to annul it, saying that a sudden cessation of mining could cause an environmental catastrophe and have significant economic consequences for the country. Today, the vice-president of the court, Rosario Silva, rejected the Polish request and imposed the fine on the country. According to the court, it took into account, in particular, that the interim measure was intended to prevent possible serious damage to the environment and human health. Therefore, "Poland should be required to pay a penalty payment of EUR 500 000 to the (European) Commission for each day from the date of notification of this resolution to Poland until that Member State has complied with its obligations under the interlocutory order," the court said. The Czech side asked for a fine of ten times. Wojciech Dabrowski, the head of PGE, which owns the mine, does not agree with the EU court's decision to pay daily fines, he told Reuters. At the same time, it expects to continue to benefit. "Of course, I assume that the mine and the power plant will continue to be active, because they ensure the energy security of the region," Dabrowski added. Subsequently, the Polish government stated that mining in the Turów mine will continue. According to Greenpeace, which is also involved in the dispute, the sanctions imposed by the court are too low. "The court's decision is clear: Poland must close the Turów mine immediately. When Poland decided to ignore this decision, the consequences had to come, in the form of fines. However, the sanctions now imposed by the court are significantly smaller than those requested by the Czech Republic. In addition, they are not assessed until today, although the court ruled to stop the mine on 21 May. It is disappointing for us that sanctions for disrespecting the court and damaging the environment are so low. The question is whether they will be motivating enough for Poland to actually close the mine, or whether it would prefer to subsidize the taxpayers' money, ”said Nikol Krejčová, campaign coordinator against the Turów mine.