As the EU country most skeptical of climate policies, Poland faces unique challenges. It remains heavily dependent on coal for its energy needs and has fewer financial resources to invest in green technologies compared to wealthier Western European nations.

Warsaw is not only disputing the car emission rules, but also seeking to overturn a newly agreed-upon law on land use and forestry (LULUCF). In addition, Poland wants to scrap another law that updates the 2030 emission reduction targets for EU countries, as well as legislation altering the number of pollution allowances in the EU’s carbon market stability reserve.

Polands’s climate-related challenges extend to the EU’s carbon border adjustment mechanism, a world’s first scheme that imposes tariffs on carbon-intensive goods entering the European Union.

EU member state, Italy has also recently announced its plans to challenge the EU’s climate-related policies. The country has similarly expressed strong objection to the EU’s 2035 ban on new combustion engine cars, stating that the ban will harm its economy, as well as place undue burdens on Italians.

Poland’s challenge to the EU’s new climate laws adds another layer of complexity to the bloc’s ambitious environmental agenda. As the EU moves aggressively to meet its climate goals under the Paris Agreement, it faces internal disputes that could hinder progress toward its climate goals.

The country’s actions bring into focus the challenges that some EU nations may face in balancing economic stability, energy security, and environmental responsibility. As Warsaw takes its grievances to the European Court of Justice, the outcome of the legal battle could have far-reaching implications, not just for Poland, but for the future of climate policy across the European Union.