EU Court to investigate Poland over drilling

“Under Polish law, it is possible to drill down to depths of 5,000 metres without assessing the potential impact on the environment beforehand. The high threshold introduced under Polish law does not take into account all relevant criteria and standards established by the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive, which should be used when determining whether certain types of projects require an assessment,” the announcement by the European Commission on Thursday read.

The EC added that EU law requires deep drillings to be assessed, “in particular for the waste they produce, their effects on water and soil, use of natural resources, the risk of accidents, and any cumulative effects they may have with other similar projects or activities.” (rg)