Environmental security

EU regulators take Poland to court for breach of environment law

The European Commission is taking Poland to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg for breaking EU environment law when exploring for shale gas, the EU executive said on Thursday.

Poland's law only requires impact assessments for drilling to a depth of more than 5,000 meters.

But the Commission says that clashes with EU legal requirements to assess the risks to water, air quality and biodiversity of much shallower drilling (more than 1,000 meters) in the shale and mining sector.

"The high threshold introduced under Polish law does not take into account all relevant criteria and standards," the Commission said in a statement.

Environment campaigners and lawyers welcomed the announcement and said it signaled the Commission's determination to act more widely to protect the environment in Poland.