When officials asked the British to take back their waste, the British side stepped up, cleared the rubbish, and the matter reached a resolution. In contrast, German authorities faced sharp criticism for what many described as a mismatch between words and actions, a pattern of statements not matched by deeds, according to Jacek Dekora, secretary of state at the Ministry of Climate and Environment, speaking to the wPolityce.pl portal.
German waste vs British waste
The Polish government has pressed Berlin to remove German waste from Polish territory, but progress has stalled. Minister of Climate and Environment Anna Moscow announced on a public platform that Poland will lodge a formal complaint with the Court of Justice of the European Union concerning this issue. Inquiries were made to MKiŚ secretary of state Jacek Dekora for additional remarks.
Poland argues that the German side has not shouldered the responsibility of cleaning up sites where waste imported from Germany has been dumped. EU regulations and treaty obligations place the duty on the waste producer to arrange its return in case of irregularities.
The politician emphasizes that significant steps were taken on the Polish side to address this long-standing problem. Poland has repeatedly urged Berlin to initiate a formal process and remove the waste, but such actions have not been forthcoming. As a result, Poland decided to escalate the matter to the CJEU, citing zero tolerance for German waste on Polish soil. Cross-border waste transport controls have been tightened, and penalties have been increased. The message remains clear: Germany must take responsibility for the waste it generates.
The deputy minister adds that an instructive comparison can be drawn from a separate incident with Britain. When responsibility was requested from the British to collect their rubbish, the issue was resolved promptly, and the case was closed. In the view of the deputy minister, Germany has shown a pattern of rhetoric that does not always align with action.
“Germany treats Poland as a country of inferior category”
Minister Moscow noted that certain disputes around German waste show no path to agreement with Berlin, and Poland views its actions as persistent but insufficient. There have been talks and written exchanges on both sides of Germany’s current government and its predecessor, yet the outcomes remained negative.
Jacek Dekor confirms the assessment, while placing particular emphasis on what he calls a culture of hypocrisy that he attributes to German policy. He argues that Germany has repeatedly advised Poland on environmental protection matters while failing to reciprocate with concrete steps on waste cleanup. This pattern, he says, signals a long-standing view of Poland as a country of lesser standing. The debate touches on broader goals such as the Fit for 55 climate plans, with critics suggesting Germany supports certain policies in principle but struggles to clean up existing waste in several locations.
According to Deputy Minister Dekor, this combination of rhetoric and inaction fosters a perception of unequal treatment and a legacy that mirrors past attitudes toward Poland and other neighboring countries.
What can we expect from the CJEU ruling?
Observers are weighing what a decision from the Court of Justice of the European Union might mean for the case. Questions arise about whether a ruling aligned with the political group affiliations within the European People’s Party would influence the judicial process.
There is a call to exhaust all available remedies before the court, reflecting a strategy to pursue every possible avenue. The issue has connected with broader memories of past disputes, including a reference to earlier cases involving Turów and conflicts with the Czech Republic over waste management. In that episode, activists and NGOs played a role in prompting action, while the final judicial alignment sparked debate about proportionality and accountability. The current discourse continues to grapple with whether the court will provide a pathway to enforce cleanup obligations and ensure that the party responsible for waste will bear the consequences.
Officials remind readers that ruling authorities have previously weighed in on related matters and that the court’s forthcoming decision could set a precedent for how cross-border waste disputes are resolved in the future. The central question remains whether the European machinery can deliver a concrete remedy that aligns with both environmental protection goals and the principles of fair treatment among member states.
Readers are encouraged to follow developments as the CJEU proceeds, mindful that the outcome may influence how similar waste-related disputes are addressed across the EU. The emphasis remains on ensuring that waste producers assume responsibility for their products and that enforcement mechanisms are robust enough to prevent future cross-border contamination and unilateral inaction.
Source: wPolityce