Poland appeals against EU directive on air pollution: report
PR dla Zagranicy
Roberto Galea
05.04.2017 12:06
Poland has lodged an appeal to the EU’s Court of Justice against a December bloc-wide directive to lower air pollution, the PAP news agency has reported.
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A Polish diplomatic source in Brussels told PAP that the appeal was sent to the Luxembourg Court last month.
In December, the EU approved new rules aimed at drastically reducing air pollution in the region.
The regulations set maximum limits for the emission of sulphur dioxide, particulate matter and nitrogen oxides, which are produced by power plants, automobiles and households. Poland is heavily reliant on coal for electricity production.
According to PAP’s source, the Polish government is questioning both the way the new rules are being implemented and the distribution of the burden among EU member states.
“We appealed against these regulations because they did not adhere to the principles of loyal cooperation, transparency and proportionality during their adoption,” the source was quoted by PAP as saying.
The new limits would cost the whole EU around EUR 2 billion a year from 2020, while Poland would have to foot as much as a quarter of that amount – about EUR 500 million, PAP said.
The European Commission says that the new pollution ceilings, called national emission reduction commitments, are implemented for periods starting from 2020 and 2030 respectively. (rg/pk)