WARSAW, April 18 (Xinhua) -- The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled on Tuesday that increased logging in Bialowieza forest in Poland has violated EU environmental laws and the Polish government is facing massive fines.
At least 10,000 trees have been felled in the ancient forest, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site nourishing plenty of animals and plants, including Europe's largest herd of bison.
UNESCO has classified the forest nestled across Poland and Belarus on the watershed of the Baltic and Black Seas as a site of "outstanding universal value."
Poland argued that its decision to increase logging was necessary to combat beetle infestation. But the ECJ found that Poland's own documents showed logging posed a greater threat to Bialowieza's integrity.
A minimum fine of 4.3 million euros (about 5.3 million U.S. dollars) could be levied against Poland unless the tree felling is stopped, according to the court.
"If they comply with the judgment, no problem," an EU official told the Guardian. "If they don't, we have a possibility to go to a second infringement procedure that may end up in fines."
The ECJ ruling was hailed by environmental activists. The group ClientEarth said the decision was for now only on paper and called for the Polish government to scrap its original approval of logging.
