Court threatens Poland with fine for hood last lowland forest Europe

luxembourg - If Poland does not immediately stop cutting trees in the Bialowieza primeval forest, the European Court of Justice will impose a fine of at least 100,000 euros per day. Cutting is only permitted if the safety of the public is at stake, according to the court in Luxembourg.

The European Commission dragged Poland to the European court in July for the 'large-scale and irreparable' logging activities in the last primeval forest in Europe. The hood is contrary to the nature conservation laws and constitutes a serious threat to an area that is part of the Unesco World Heritage. The forest is the last remaining lowland forest in Europe. Numerous rare plant and animal species experience damage from the logging.

The EU court ordered Poland to stop cutting caps at the end of July, but the Polish state forest management nevertheless announced that it would just continue, partly because the logging would be necessary to prevent the spread of harmful beetles. According to the court, this has not been demonstrated.