OREANDA-NEWS. Poland has not yet paid the fine imposed on it by the European Commission for the exploitation of the Turov coal mine, government spokesman Piotr Müller told reporters.

"No payment has been made yet. Poland has submitted a corresponding proposal to the Czech side. These negotiations will continue tomorrow. We expect the Czech side will show goodwill to close this case," Muller said.

The European Court of Justice in Luxembourg on September 20 ordered Poland to pay 500 thousand euros as a daily fine up to the termination of coal mining at the Turov mine. According to the court desicion, such a fine should force Poland to reconsider its attitude to the May court ruling to suspend the operation of the mine. The fine must be paid by the country from the moment Poland is notified until the execution of the judgment.

In May, the European Union court, at the request of the Czech Republic, ordered the Polish side to immediately stop all work conducted at the Turov mine. The Czech side is actively protesting against the planned expansion of the mine, as it could lower the water table significantly, create serious problems with water supply to nearby areas and damage the environment considerably.