- Title: EU court orders Poland to halt logging in primeval forest
- Date: 28th July 2017
- Summary: LUXEMBOURG, LUXEMBOURG (FILE) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF EUROPEAN COURT OF JUSTICE BIALOWIEZA FOREST, POLAND (FILE - MAY 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF BIALOWIEZA PRIMEVAL FOREST (PROTECTED AREA) BISON WALKING IN FOREST WOODPECKER ON TREE SWAMPY FOREST INFORMATION BOARD OF THE NATIONAL BIALOWIEZA PARK BOARD READING: (English) "WORLD HERITAGE, UNESCO 1979" VARIOUS TREES INFECTED BY BARK BEETLE MARKED WITH "X" SIGN INDICATING NEED FOR IMMEDIATE LOGGING VARIOUS TREES INFECTED BY BARK BEETLE MARKED FOR LOGGING LOGGED SPRUCE INFECTED BY BARK BEETLE LOGGED SPRUCES LYING NEXT TO TOURIST INFORMATION SIGN BIALOWIEZA FOREST, POLAND (‪FILE - MAY 24, 2017‬) (REUTERS) ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS PROTESTING AGAINST LOGGING IN BIALOWIEZA FOREST ACTIVIST CHAINED TO LOGGING MACHINE ACTIVISTS HANGING IN TREES, ATTACHING BANNER, READING (Polish): "Stop logging the Bialowieza Forest" VARIOUS OF ACTIVIST CHAINED TO LOGGING MACHINE VARIOUS OF ACTIVISTS STANDING NEXT TO LOGGING MACHINE BANNER, READING (Polish): "I (heart) the forest" VARIOUS OF ACTIVIST CHAINED TO LOGGING MACHINE VARIOUS OF LOGGED TREES LYING IN FOREST BIALOWIEZA FOREST, POLAND (FILE - MAY 2016) (REUTERS) TOURISTS RIDING BIKES NEXT TO LOGGED TREES
- Embargoed: 11th August 2017 16:27
- Keywords: Europea court of Justice orders Poland to stop logging in Bialowieza forest
- Location: LUXEMBOURG, LUXEMBOURG AND BIALOWIEZA FOREST, POLAND
- City: LUXEMBOURG, LUXEMBOURG AND BIALOWIEZA FOREST, POLAND
- Country: Poland
- Topics: Environment,Nature/Wildlife
- Reuters ID: LVA0016RMUKAH
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The European Union's top court ordered Poland on Friday (July 28) to immediately halt large-scale logging in an ancient protected forest, one of many cases that has pitted Brussels against the right-wing eurosceptic government in Warsaw.
A spokeswoman for the European Court of Justice (ECJ) gave no reason for the ruling but it follows a legal appeal this month from the European Commission to halt logging in Bialowieza forest, a UNESCO World Heritage-listed site.
The Commission, the EU's executive arm, has said the logging violates the bloc's wildlife protection laws.
The European Commission appealed to the ECJ for swift interim action as the main case filed by the Commission against Warsaw could possibly take years to conclude.
Should Poland lose the main case at the ECJ, it could be fined a lump sum of more than 4 million euros and possible daily penalties of up to 300,000 euros for every day in which Warsaw fails to adhere to the court's decision.
Straddling the border between Poland and Belarus, Bialowieza is one of Europe's last primeval forests and home to its largest herd of European bison.
The ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) says logging is needed to protect the forest from beetles and has increased the quota of wood that can be harvested there.
Environmentalists say the vast majority of trees felled so far were not affected by the beetles. They have been holding regular protests to try to halt the logging and UNESCO has also appealed to Poland stop cutting down the trees. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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