Poland Broke Law by Logging Ancient Forest, E.U. Court Official Says
"The Bialowieza Forest is an exceptionally valuable area for Poland
and all of the past actions had been undertaken in the interest of maintaining it in the best possible condition for the present and future generations." The clash over the forest is just part of a larger dispute between the conservative Polish government and Brussels, which has accused the governing Law and Justice Party of undermining democracy and the rule of law.
Supported by By Joanna Berendt WARSAW — Poland broke international law by drastically increasing logging in one of Europe’s last
primeval woodlands, which is home to endangered animal species, an official of the European Court of Justice said on Tuesday.
The final ruling of the European Court of Justice in the Bialowieza Forest case is expected
in several weeks, said Krzysztof Cibor, an official from the Polish branch of Greenpeace.
Henryk Kowalczyk said that Poland is a state of law that respects the opinion of the spokesman of the European Court of Justice,
Last year, the European Commission, the European Union’s executive body, sued in the Court of Justice to block
that increase, and the court ordered Poland to halt the large-scale felling of trees until the case was resolved.
Yves Bot, an advocate general at the court, issued his opinion on the Bialowieza Forest at a time of strained relations between the European Union and Poland, a member state
that has repeatedly defied the organization and challenged its authority.