About: Poland
Poland avoids new EU lawsuit in extremis
First Vice President Frans Timmermans on Wednesday (19 September) was expected to ask the College of Commissioners to refer the Polish Supreme Court law to the EU’s top court, the European Court of Justice.
Poland requests permanent US base, suggests naming it ‘Fort Trump’
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday (18 September) the United States is considering a request from Poland for a permanent US military presence in the fellow NATO country, acknowledging that he shares Poland's concerns about possible Russian aggression.
‘Sad day’ as Poland banned from EU judicial body
Poland was banned Monday (17 September) from the EU body representing the member states' judicial institutions over its perceived lack of independence after controversial government reforms.
Polish government rejects Brussels’ objections regarding Supreme Court
The Polish government has rejected the Commission's objections to its controversial law on the Supreme Court, stating that the Commission cannot assess justice in the member states. A complaint against Poland before the EU Court of Justice could soon follow. EURACTIV Poland’s media partner “Gazeta Wyborcza” reports.
Running the rule over Article 7
It is the strongest punitive measure the EU has against its member states: Article 7. Since disciplinary measures were triggered against Poland for the first time in late 2017, the punitive Article 7 procedure has gained in notoriety.
PKEE: Polish capacity market is designed for low-carbon electricity
The capacity market in Poland has a so-called “green bonus”, which allows a two-year extension of the multiannual capacity contracts provided that a 450 kg CO2/MWh emission performance standard is met, says Maciej Burny.
Mega infrastructure projects win over clean energy in Visegrad Four
In the Visegrad countries, decision makers prefer their historical favourites – coal and nuclear – to renewable sources and energy efficiency. As the Global Climate Action Summit resumes in San Francisco, it’s important to realise that corporate leadership can also shape the outlook for clean energy in Eastern Europe, writes Ada Ámon.
Poland worried by EU vote to censure Hungary
Poland on Wednesday (12 September) said it was very worried by the European Parliament's rare decision to launch a procedure against Hungary for posing a "systemic threat" to the EU's founding values.
MEPs trigger Article 7 against Hungary after evasive Juncker speech
MEPs voted en masse to trigger Article 7 proceedings against Hungary on Wednesday (12 September), although Jean-Claude Juncker's early morning Strasbourg speech failed to send much of a clear signal against Budapest's alleged rule of law violations.
Juncker paints ‘big picture’ of EU’s global role
Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker stayed away from major legislative proposals in his annual address to Parliament, preferring to focus on the “big picture” of how the EU can assert its power in a hostile international environment.
Defying EU, Poland names new acting Supreme Court chief
Poland's presidency on Tuesday (11 September) named a new acting head of the Supreme Court as Warsaw presses ahead with an overhaul of its judiciary that critics, including the EU, say undermines the rule of law in the ex-communist state.
Orbán divides EPP ahead of crucial European Parliament vote
The European Parliament held a highly incendiary debate about Hungary on Tuesday (11 September), ahead of a vote on whether to trigger Article 7 against the country, exposing serious internal divisions in the European Peoples’ Party, which includes Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's party.
Germany’s ‘strategic reserves’ for coal under fire in EU Council
A group of seven countries – comprising France, Poland, Italy, Hungary, Greece, Ireland and the UK – have issued a common position on the reform of Europe’s electricity market, saying “strategic reserves” for electricity should not receive favourable treatment from regulators.
Poland’s push for Via Carpathia may boost cooperation in Eastern Europe
For a long time, Warsaw has been looking for opportunities to boost regional cooperation with neighbours. Now plans for the so-called Carpathian Strategy have gained the support of some countries in the region, paving the way for a series of joint projects partly funded by the EU.
EU admits ‘mistake’ in state aid decision for German coal plants
The EU’s decisions to approve state support for emergency power plants in France, Germany, Poland, Italy and Greece will all have to be revisited in light of the ongoing reform of electricity market rules, the European Commission said on Tuesday (4 September), saying it won’t make an exception for Germany.
A ‘grand gas bargain’ with Russia is in the pipeline, experts believe
The European Commission's push to rewrite the EU's Third Gas Directive is doomed, but Brussels has not withdrawn its proposal because it is preparing a "grand bargain” with Russia, experts told a EURACTIV event on Wednesday (5 September).
Socially just energy transition for coal workers no pie in the sky, study finds
As the UN's climate chief called for more "urgency" from negotiators at the ongoing Bangkok climate talks, a new international report found that a socially just transition is already feasible for coal workers and communities, while a global decline in coal production is expected.
French foreign minister: We no longer want to pay for Poland and Hungary
France does not want to finance a populist Europe, the country's foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has indicated, just as the fight over the EU's new long-term budget begins in earnest. EURACTIV Poland's media partner Gazeta Wyborcza reports.
Governments ‘not ready’ for Katowice COP24
Governments are unprepared for a crucial climate change meeting in Poland later this year aimed at ensuring the full implementation of the 2015 Paris Agreement, Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said on Tuesday (4 September) at the opening of climate talks in Bangkok.
Defiant Kaczynski says Poland must avoid EU’s ‘social diseases’
Poland belongs in the European Union but should be careful not to be "infected by social diseases" that dominate the bloc, ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party leader Jarosław Kaczyński said on Sunday (2 September).
Poland’s ‘last coal power plant’ faces €1.7 billion loss, analysts say
The planned phase-out of state aid to fossil fuel power generation across the European Union could make the Ostrołęka C coal station project unprofitable within years, according to a new report by Carbon Tracker, a think tank.
Lithuania says it will not appeal European court ruling over CIA torture jail
Lithuania on Wednesday (22 August) said it would not appeal a European court ruling that the Baltic state had been complicit in a clandestine CIA programme by holding terror suspects at a secret detention site on its territory.
Polish Auschwitz survivor to take Nazi camp row to EU court
A 97-year-old Auschwitz survivor hopes to take German public broadcaster ZDF to Europe's top court for calling Nazi camps "Polish", his lawyer said Wednesday (22 August).