2024-05-29 12:59 update: 2024-05-31, 14:01
Fot. PAP/Maciej Kulczyński
The European Commission (EC) could legitimately deduct daily fines from the EU funding eligible to Poland for the country's failure to shut down the Turow lignite mine, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has ruled.
In 2021, the CJEU ordered Poland to freeze the operation of the Turow lignite mine near the Czech border following a complaint filed with the court by Prague. The then Polish government failed to comply with the ruling, which led the CJEU to impose a daily penalty of half a million euros on Warsaw.
On February 3, 2022, Poland reached an agreement with the Czech Republic, which resulted in withdrawing the complaint from the CJEU.
However, the daily fines that accumulated over the period, a total of EUR 68.5 million, are still payable, the CJEU said on Wednesday.
In its ruling, the CJEU rejected the complaint by the former Law and Justice government against the EC deducting fines from EU funds assigned to Poland.
The CJEU concluded that the withdrawal of the complaint by the Czech Republic did not relieve Poland of the duty of payment.
"Otherwise, the objective of the periodic penalty payment, namely to guarantee the effective application of EU law, such application being an essential component of the rule of law, would not be attained," the court said.
The verdict can still be appealed. (PAP)
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