Poland will not stop working at the KWB Turów coal mines, Polish Prime Minister Matthew Moravecki said on Tuesday, suggesting that Warsaw might not pay the harsh fines imposed on it by the European Union (EU) court for not closing the mines.
The European Court of Justice ruled in May that Poland should suspend the KWB Turów coal mine. The Czech Republic has lodged a complaint with the court, claiming that the mines have a negative impact on the environment in the border region, where residents complain about water shortages, noise and dust.
However, Poland did not suspend the mines, claiming that this would cut off power to two million households, and insisted that the court did not have all the information on the situation.
The European Court of Justice said on Monday that Poland should pay a fine of 500,000 euros a day to Brussels for not closing coal mines.
Moraveckis told a news conference on Tuesday that the court ruling was “erroneous, extremely aggressive and extremely harmful” and completely disproportionate.
He promised that Poland would use all legal and other means to prove the disproportionate nature of court decisions, and stressed that it remains to be seen whether Warsaw would actually pay the fines.
Moraveckis also pointed out that KWB Turów and the local power plant provide electricity to millions of people, as well as many schools and hospitals, which will be left without electricity and heat during the winter due to an EU court ruling.
“We cannot allow such a verdict to endanger the health and lives of the Polish people,” Moraveckis said.
He said that the mine dispute had dragged on due to the Czechs’ delay in reaching an agreement due to the forthcoming elections.
A Polish government spokesman told reporters on Monday that Poland was working for a settlement with the Czech Republic and that bilateral talks on KWB Turów had continued throughout the day.
–
It is strictly forbidden to use, copy or reproduce the materials published on iAuto.lv on other Internet portals, mass media or otherwise handle the materials published on iAuto.lv without the written permission of EON SIA.
.
