EC refers Poland to Justice Court over pollution
PR dla Zagranicy
Roberto Galea
10.12.2015 16:39
The European Commission has decided to refer Poland to the Court of Justice over dust particles which could pose a risk to public health.
Photo: Flickr.com/czechr
The case refers to the “persistently high levels of dust particles that pose a major risk to public health”, the EC wrote in a statement on Thursday.
“In Poland, the daily limit values for the airborne particles (PM10) have been persistently exceeded in 35 out of 46 air quality zones for at least the last five years, including 2014.
“Additionally, in nine zones the annual limit values have also been persistently exceeded. The PM10 pollution in Poland is predominantly caused by low-stack emissions (emissions from sources with a height lower than 40m) from household heating. The legislative and administrative measures taken so far to limit this persisting non-compliance have been deemed insufficient by the Commission.”
In October, Polish President Andrzej Duda signed the so-called “anti-smog” law, marking the culmination of a long-running campaign by environmentalists.
More recently, a Polish man filed a lawsuit against the state over the high levels of smog in his native Silesian city of Rybnik, southern Poland. (rg/rk)