The European Commission has invoked non-compliance with a decision of the EU Court of Justice concerning a coal mine. An unprecedented decision.
Le Monde with AFP
Warsaw incurred financial penalties related to the functioning of its Turow mine, in the southwestern country, at the border with the Czech Republic and Germany. The European Commission announced, Tuesday, February 8, having informed Poland that it would be taken in the European funds which must be paid to it for non-compliance with the decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) , which constitutes a first.
In May 2021, the CJUE had ordered the Polish Government, as part of a referral decision (emergency), to close the TOUW mine due to harmful effects for the environment, pending a decision on the bottom. In September, the court had ordered Warsaw to pay a penalty of 500,000 euros a day until the closure of the mine.
“Ten working days”
The European Executive will proceed in “ten working days” to the recovery of these delay penalties, announced a spokesman, Ujvari balazs. The sum is due for the period from September 20 to October 19, 2021, he said. Which corresponds to nearly 15 million euros. The spokesman did not want to say what European funds would be deducted the sum.
These penalties are owed even if Warsaw and Prague signed on 3 February an agreement concerning this Giant Mine of Turow, which puts an end to their dispute. “By compensating, the Commission fulfills its legal obligation to recover the financial penalties imposed by the Court of Justice, and that Poland refused to pay, adds the spokesman.