Brussels | The European Commission announced on Tuesday that it had informed Poland that it was going to deduct from the European funds which must be paid to it a fine for non-compliance with a decision of the Court of Justice of the EU, which is a first.
The European executive will proceed in “ten working days” to recover these late penalties linked to the non-closure of a coal mine, said a spokesperson, Balazs Ujvari.
The sum is due over the period from September 20 to October 19, 2021, he said. This corresponds to nearly 15 million euros. The spokesperson did not wish to indicate from which European funds this sum would be deducted.
These penalties are due even if Warsaw and Prague signed an agreement on February 3 on this giant Turow mine, located near the Czech and German borders, which puts an end to their dispute.
“By making the compensation, the Commission is fulfilling its legal obligation to recover the financial penalties imposed by the Court” of justice, and which Poland has refused to pay, adds the spokesperson.
In May 2021, the Court of Justice of the EU ordered the Polish government, in an interim (emergency) decision, to close the Turow mine, due to harmful effects on the environment, in awaiting a decision on the merits. In September, the court ordered Warsaw to pay a penalty of 500,000 euros per day until the mine was closed.