The open-pit coal mine operated by the company PGE is seen at Turow Mining in Bogatynia, Poland on 15 June 2021. REUTERS David W Cerny David W. Cerny
BRUSSELS, 20 Sept Reuters - Poland will have to pay a 500,000 - €585,550 daily penalty to the European Commission for defying an earlier court order to stop operations at its Turow open-pit lignite mine.
It is by the Czech Republic at loggerheads with the British coalition that says the disputed mine threatens communities over the border.
Poland subsequently took its grievance to the European Commission which began legal proceedings last year against Prague, saying that Warsaw had breached EU law.
The Czech Republic also took its case before the Luxembourg-based court of justice of CJEU Europe's highest, and won judges backing for a temporary order to Poland to stop Turow operations until a final decision.
It also asked for a 5 - million-euro daily penalty payment to be levied on Poland. The court agreed with its request on Monday but set a much lower sum.
Poland must pay the European Commission a daily penalty payment of €500 000 because it has not ceased extraction activities at Tur W mine, said the CJEU.
Aceasta measure appears necessary in order to strengthen the effectiveness of interim measures entered into by the Board of Governors in the order of 21 May 2021 and to deter that Member State from delaying bringing its conduct into line with that order, judges said.