Szyszko: We can’t be fined for logging in Białowieża

According to the Environment Minister Jan Szyszko, Poland can’t be fined for logging in the primeval Białowieża forest as it has been abiding by the EU laws. “We do not face any penalties and this is clearly stated in the provisional application that we received from the European Court of Justice. Poland may not be liable for any penalties for any future activity. This can not happen because we fulfill the tribunal’s recommendations 100 percent.” Konrad Tomaszewski, the head of State Forests, a state-run company managing Polish forests, said it had decided to stop using heavy duty cutting equipment claiming they were no longer needed, and that this decision had nothing to do with the ECJ decision. On Monday, The European Court of Justice court ruled that Warsaw would be fined €100,000 for every day it continues logging in the primeval Białowieża forest. “Poland must immediately cease its active forest management operations in the Bialowieża forest, except in exceptional cases where they are strictly necessary to ensure public safety,” the ECJ said in a statement. The court also ordered Poland to send the commission details of all measures that it has adopted in order to comply with the order within 15 days. Since logging started, timber harvesting has increased threefold in Białowieża, and brings PLN millions in profits.