Poland facing considerable fines for logging in Bialowieza Forest
The European Court of Justice demanded that Poland immediately halt logging in the Białowieża Forest, the reserved primeval forest, or Warsaw will have to pay a very large fine.
“Poland must immediately halt all deforestation works in the Białowieża forest with the exception of areas where the deforestation is needed in order to ensure public safety,” the top European court headquartered in Luxemburg said in its ruling published on the evening of November 20th.
According to the court’s judgment, if Polish authorities are caught disobeying the ruling, they will be liable to a fine up to EUR 100,000 per day.
Since last year, the state authorities of Poland have been conducting large-scale logging in the section of the ancient forest located in Poland stating it was related to fighting the spread of the bark-beetle to other areas of the natural reserve.
In early July, the European Commission filed a lawsuit with the European Court of Justice, in which it demanded Warsaw to stop the logging, claiming the deforestation conducted by Poland violates laws that protect wildlife conservation areas.
In its later ruling, the European Court upheld the suspension of logging in the Białowieża ancient forest until the case is heard under a summary judgment (expedited) procedure.