Poland must accept penalty over Turów mine dispute, EU court rules
Poland must accept a penalty payment of €68.5 million ($80 million) over a dispute linked to the Turów mine, the European Court of Justice ruled on Thursday.
The case concerns a long-running conflict over the open-cast lignite mine, which is close to the three-way border between Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic.
The previous Polish government sought to expand operation at the site despite fears of environmental damage.
The European Court of Justice ordered a halt to lignite mining in 2021 in response to a Czech lawsuit.
When Poland did not comply, the court imposed a fine of €500,000 per day, with the funds set to be transferred to the European Union's budget.
While an agreement with Prague was reached in 2022, the Polish government refused to pay the outstanding fine.
The European Commission subsequently decided it would offset the sum against its payments to Poland, prompting Warsaw to file a lawsuit.
In a ruling on Thursday, the Luxembourg-based court said the commission's move was legal, confirming a decision by the lower-instance General Court.
The Polish agreement with the Czech Republic could not result in a court order being retroactively amended or revoked, the judges ruled.