Top EU officials urge Warsaw to stop logging protected, primaeval forest
PR dla Zagranicy
Victoria Bieniek
08.08.2017 08:30
Top European officials have asked Poland to respect a preliminary European Court of Justice decision to stop logging in the primaeval Białowieża forest, amid a row between Brussels and Warsaw.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Oliver Herold
The European Commission's deputy head Frans Timmermans and the commission's environment chief Karmenu Vella sent a letter to Warsaw on Monday, according to the PAP news agency.
They said the logging in the forest was a concern, according to PAP, adding that Białowieża is included in Europe's Natura 2000 programme, the world's largest network of protected areas.
But Poland's environment ministry on Friday said that an end to logging in the north-eastern forest would result in PLN 3.2 billion (EUR 753 million) in damage.
The ministry has said logging was key to fighting a plague of the European spruce bark beetle.
The European Commission, which first raised concerns over logging in the Polish forest a year ago, wants the European court to determine whether Warsaw is violating EU directives on habitats and birds. (vb/pk)
Source: PAP