Poland broke EU law by increasing logging in the ancient Bialowieza Forest under a pretext of fighting spruce beetle, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled on April 17.

The ruling is final. It sees Poland defeated in the row over logging in the Bialowieza Forest, parts of which are remains of primeaval forest that once covered most of Europe. Poland said logging was necessary to contain a spread of spruce beetle allegedly threatening Natura 2000 areas in the forest. That sparked the outrage of Unesco, which designated part it as a World Heritage Site, as well as of the EU, and scientists and environmentalists worldwide.

The CJEU ruled, however, that rather than protecting it, the logging had led to a loss of part of the Bialowieza Forest.

“The Court finds that implementation of the active forest management operations at issue results in loss of a part of the [Bialowieza Forest] Natura 2000 site. Therefore, such operations cannot, contrary to Poland’s submissions, constitute measures ensuring the conservation of that site,” the court said.

The ruling also compromises Jan Szyszko, Poland’s previous environment minister, who said for months he observed EU law in full in the forest. The new minister since January, Henryk Kowalczyk, adopted a more conciliatory line in anticipation of the CJEU’s ruling that would counter Poland’s stance.

“Poland will comply with the judgement of the CJEU,” the ministry of environment said in a statement.

Kowalczyk also said that the ministry would present proposals to the European Commission for “compromise solutions” concerning a long-term plan for the protection of the forest, a well-known biodiversity hotspot.