EU threatens Poland with court order to stop highway construction

The European Commission on Thursday increased pressure on Poland to halt building a section of trans-European highway in a protected region, saying it was considering to request a European court order to halt the project 'as soon as possible.'

The commission is to ask the European Court of Justice, the bloc's second-highest tribunal, to stop the disputed project should construction works have been begun, or to block the works from being started, a commission spokeswoman told reporters.

'The commission is studying the possibility of taking a decision to go to the court as soon as possible,' she added.

The spokeswoman also said that an EU member state might face hefty fines if it did not comply with the court's judgement.

'We expect Poland to take less dangerous alternatives,' she said.

EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas earlier this week indicated that he was ready to take legal action to ensure that no irreparable damage was done.

If Warsaw pursued its course, Dimas warned, it would represent a 'major catastrophe' for the pristine Rospuda river valley.

The controversial project has been in the pipeline for more than a decade. Poland joined the EU in May 2004.

The picturesque Rospuda river valley in north-east Poland includes a marshland and peat bog ecosystem regarded as the last of its kind in Europe. It is home to a unique variety of flora and fauna.

Source:news.monstersandcritics.com