Polish president signs 'anti-smog' law
PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge
06.10.2015 11:20
President of Poland Andrzej Duda has signed the so-called 'anti-smog' law, marking the culmination of a long-running campaign by environmentalists.
Photo: flickr
The law is designed to give local authorities complete sovereignty in deciding whether bans should be implemented regarding such matters as the burning of environmentally unfriendly substances in domestic properties.
The Małopolska regional assembly (sejmik) passed a resolution in 2013 banning the use of coal and other hazardous fuels in Krakow's domestic stoves.
However, Poland's Supreme Administrative Court intervened, ruling that such a ban is unconstitutional.
The new law further prevents such interventions.
A 2013 report by the European Environment Agency found that Kraków had the third most polluted air of 383 cities across Europe.
Research has show that during the winter period, 50 percent of pollution in Kraków comes from low emission sources, namely from the burning of coal and other objects in household stoves.
The campaign to cleanse Kraków's air was spearheaded by NGO the Kraków Smog Alarm. Representatives of the NGO handed President Duda a petition on Thursday when he visited the city. (nh/rk)