After more than a year of consideration of the case, the EU Court determined that permits in Poland for felling during the nesting period of birds contradict the environmental protection legislation of the European Union.
This is reported by Politico.
Consideration of the issue was initiated by the European Commission in 2021, insisting that permits for felling during the mating season of protected bird species contradict European environmental legislation. Warsaw insisted that the national legislation on the use of forest areas does not harm the environment.
In the end, the EU Court supported the position of the European Commission and determined that the Polish forestry management plans do not take into account the consequences for the birds' environment and their protected status.
In addition, the court ruled that Poland violated EU law guaranteeing access to justice in environmental matters when it did not allow environmental initiatives to challenge forestry management plans in local courts.
The decision obliges Poland to amend the legislation and bring the specified plans for forests into compliance with EU legislation on biodiversity conservation.
This is not the first time that the EU Court has issued a decision against Poland regarding the environment - in 2018, there was a decision to ban logging in Białowieża Pushcha. Despite this, after some time, Poland announced plans to restore the sawmills.