Poland defiant despite two-week warning to stop illegal deforestation or be fined €100,000 a day

Dried out spruce trees in primaval parts of Bialowieza Forest
Dried out spruce trees in primaval parts of Bialowieza Forest Credit: WOJTEK RADWANSKI/AFP/Getty Images

The Polish environment minister has claimed Poland is fully compliant with the EU over controversial logging in one of Europe’s last areas of primeval forest after it was threatened with fines of at least €100,000 a day if it refused to end the practice.

At a press conference on Tuesday Jan Szyszko, Poland’s environment minister, insisted Poland was in “100 per cent compliance with European Commission recommendations” over management of the Bialowieza Forest.

His statement appears to contradict the actions of the European Court of Justice, which on Monday took the unprecedented step of saying it will impose fines of around €100,000 a day, if logging continues.

The future of the Bialowieza has been a source of confrontation between the Polish government on one side and the EU and environmental organisations on the other since the government approved a three-fold increase in logging last year.  

The forest has become the scene of a battle between environmentalists and officials
The forest has become the scene of a battle between environmentalists and officials Credit: WOJTEK RADWANSKI/AFP/Getty Images

Spanning the Polish-Belarusian border, the Bialowieza is one of the last significant tracts of the great lowland primeval forests that once carpeted northern Europe.

Some areas of it remain untouched by human hand, and it hosts a unique biodiversity and wildlife such as bison and wolves.

The Court of Justice has said logging threatens irreparable damage to the forest, and the threat of fines was warranted because it had seen no evidence of decreased logging since the initial request to cease the practice was made in July.

Warsaw demonstrators protesting deforestation 
Warsaw demonstrators protesting deforestation  Credit: Celestino Arce/NurPhoto

Warsaw has ordered the removal of harvesters, machines that can fell and cut up a tree in minutes, from the forest, but that has done little to placate the anger of its critics.

“Minister Szyszko is clearly misleading the public about the illegal actions which have gone on in this ancient and precious forest,” Agata Szafraniuk, a lawyer with ClientEarth, an environmental organisation.

“If he is going to continue - as he claims - to ‘comply’ with the law in the way he has done so far then Polish taxpayers, unfortunately, will end up paying huge fines and the forest will pay an unacceptable price.”

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