Poland does not pay fines for Turów, the EU wants to cut them from the funds. “The government is willing to bear the cost”

The conflict over the Turów mine has not yet been resolved. Poland has still not reached an agreement with the new Czech government and has not complied with the temporary decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union, which ordered the suspension of coal mining. Poland also failed to pay the penalties imposed on our country for failure to comply with the CJEU’s decision. From September 20, the penalty meter beats at the rate of 500,000. euro a day.

The EC spokesman, Balazs Ujvari, informed that if Poland does not voluntarily pay the fines imposed on it, it will deduct money from EU funds that are due to our country.

Government spokesman on penalties for Turów: More important security for Polish families

Experts have no doubts that the implementation of the CJEU’s decisions is very difficult. The Tribunal ordered that coal mining be temporarily suspended. In practice, however, this means the closure of not only the mine, but also the power plant located in its immediate vicinity.

The position of the European Commission was commented on by Piotr Müller, government spokesman. – Therefore, what we can do is wait for the actions of the European Commission in this regard. If the European Commission finally wants, in a manner inconsistent with the provisions of EU law, to deduct these funds from those funds transferred to the Polish budget, it can of course always do so, while the safety of Poles in terms of energy is the most important for us – he declared.

He also stated that “the government is able to bear the cost that will prevent Polish families from shutting down electricity for several million people.”

Opposition: Pay with yours. The spokesman replies

The opposition reacted to the media reports about the new position of the European Commission. “500 million zlotys – this is the amount of fines, 500 million zlotys Poland spends on the fight against cancer, 500 million zlotys – this is how much the government spent on feeding children in 5 years,” wrote Cezary Tomczyk from the Civic Platform. “It’s pay with your money” – he asked directly a government spokesman.

Piotr Müller reacted to this statement. “Does the Platform want to close mines, turn off electricity for millions and heat for tens of thousands of people?” – he asked on Twitter.

What is the conflict over the Turów mines about?

The Czech authorities accuse Poland of negatively affecting the state of the environment on the Czech side of the border. The government in Prague accused our country of violating EU regulations regarding the mines.

He referred a complaint to the CJEU, and the Tribunal – as an interim measure, before issuing a final decision – ordered a temporary suspension of coal mining. Poland did not implement the decision, because the closure of the mine would deprive the Turów power plant of fuel, which supplies energy to thousands of homes. The Czech government again asked the Court not to implement the CJEU’s decision to suspend production. The Tribunal imposed a fine on Poland in the amount of PLN 500,000. euro, which Poland does not pay.

In the meantime, the government in the Czech Republic has changed, and the minister of environment in Poland. Anna Moskwa, the new head of the ministry, has not yet reached an agreement with the Czech Republic. Its conclusion would lead to the withdrawal of the complaint from the CJEU, and this would end the counter with penalties.