EU orders Poland to stop logging in Białowieża

The European Commission warned Poland that if it continues to lodge the protected Białoweża forests it will take it to court. Under the new Polish law it is allowed for state-owned company which manages Polish forests to log in the Białowieża, which was previously prohibited. Poland hopes to triple its revenue from timber harvesting. But the EU wants none of it and called Polish government to stop. “The European Commission is calling on Poland to refrain from large-scale logging in the Bialowieża Forest,” the EC said in a statement. The forest is one of the largest and oldest primeval forecast in Europe and is protected under EU law. “This logging is likely to undermine the conservation of habitats and species at the site, as well as to cause irreparable depletion of biodiversity,” the statement said. The Commission gave Warsaw one month to respond, halving the usual time for an answer, because of “the threat of serious irreparable damage to the site.” If Poland continues with the logging, the Commission plans to sue it before the European Court of Justice.