CJEU advocate general upholds Czech case in dispute over Turów mine

The advocate general of the Court of Justice of the European Union has upheld the Czech cause in the dispute over the Turów mine located near the Czech border.

According to his ruling, Poland breached EU law by extending the development consent for lignite mining in the Turów mine without carrying out an environment impact assessment.

The Czech Republic filed the lawsuit against Poland at the Court of Justice last February, saying that the mine was contaminating water used by Czech communities across the border.The European Court of Justice had ordered Poland to stop activities at the mine. Warsaw ignored the order, and so the court in September imposed a daily fine of 500,000 euros on Poland until it complies.