Poland called to the European Court of Justice

The European Commission is taking Poland to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg for breaking EU environment law when exploring for shale gas, the EU executive said on April 28. According to Poland's law, it is required to impact assessments for drilling only to a depth of more than 5,000 meters, whereas the clashes with EU legal requirements to assess the risks to water, air quality and biodiversity of much shallower drilling more than 1,000 meters in the shale and mining sector. "The high threshold introduced under Polish law does not take into account all relevant criteria and standards," the Commission said in a statement. The Commission said it will also consider the environmental impact of government plans to increase logging in the Białowieza Forest, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The European Court of Justice has to consider the Commission's case, and if it agrees with the ruling, Poland could face a fine for each day it is in breach of EU law.