Exclusive-Poland to withdraw court cases against EU climate policies - sources

Fri, February 2, 2024 

EU leaders meet in Brussels

By Kate Abnett and Marek Strzelecki

BRUSSELS/WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland will no longer take the EU to court to attempt to cancel numerous climate change policies, and is preparing to withdraw lawsuits the previous government had filed to do this, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

After years of resisting certain European Union climate policies under the previous nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party, Poland's October 2023 election has marked a shift in Warsaw's stance on fighting climate change.

Centrist Prime Minister Donald Tusk's new pro-European government is planning to formally withdraw its ongoing legal challenges against some of the EU's main climate change policies at the EU's top court, government and EU sources told Reuters.

Poland's previous government had brought lawsuits to the EU's top court including four cases last year attempting to annul EU climate policies: a law banning new CO2-emitting car sales from 2035, an EU policy setting national emissions-cutting targets, changes to the EU's carbon market and goals to protect forests so they can store more carbon.

The sources said the Tusk government intends to cancel the court cases and is coordinating a decision between the government ministries involved.

Tusk's office did not respond to a request for comment. Poland's climate ministry did not have an immediate comment.

The government has already signalled plans to change some national climate policies, to replace coal with renewable energy faster, and said that any changes would include support for affected workers and industries.

(Reporting by Kate Abnett, Marek Strzelecki; Editing by Gareth Jones)