Minister: Poland should not pay any of its EU court fines

By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA
Associated Press

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s justice minister says the European Union member should not pay any of the total $1.8 million daily fines the EU’s top court has imposed for Warsaw’s ignoring its injunctions regarding changes to the judiciary and a lignite mine. Zbigniew Ziobro on Thursday called the European Court of Justice injunctions lawless. On Wednesday, the court fined Poland $1.2 million a day to prevent what it called “serious and irreparable harm” to the EU’s legal order, chiefly by having a Supreme Court body for disciplining judges. It earlier fined Poland $600,000 for failing to close the Turow lignite mine. Poland is not paying that. EU Commission head Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday expressed hope for a compromise.