UXEMBOURG, Feb 22, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – The EU’s top court on Thursday found
Poland guilty of violating air quality laws, in the latest clash between the
bloc’s authorities and the right-wing government in Warsaw.
The European Court of Justice urged Poland to comply “without delay” or
face fines after finding that the country regularly exceeded limits for toxic
fine particles for years.
Brussels has repeatedly taken Poland’s right-wing government to task in
recent years over other environment issues as well as migration and the rule
of law.
“The Court of Justice finds that Poland has infringed EU law on ambient
air quality,” the Luxembourg-based EU court said in a statement.
It said that between 2007 and 2015 Poland regularly exceeded the daily
limits for toxic fine particles in the air in 35 zones and the annual limit
in nine zones.
The tiny particles may contain hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and dioxins
that can enter the respiratory tract and the lungs.
The European Commission, the executive of the 28-nation EU, took Poland to
the top court for failing to comply with an EU directive that took effect in
June 2008.
The ruling comes two days after the top advisor to the ECJ said Poland
broke the law by logging in one of Europe’s last primeval forests.