Kosovo for the first time fines industry polluter

A Kosovo court has for the first time fined a major polluter after the company failed to record emissions endangering the ecosystem in the area, a statement said on Tuesday. "The magistrate court in (the central Kosovo town) Drenas has fined (the company) Ferronikeli 40,000 euros ($54,000), while its manager is fined 1,500 euro ($2,000)," the environment ministry said in a statement. It added that the company, one of the biggest nickel producers in the region, was fined as it failed to record emissions endangering the ecosystem around it. The nickel factory, which has been privatized and is now owned by an international mining and metal corporation based in the Netherlands, was charged with not complying with environment protection rules and even violating them by polluting the water and air in central Kosovo. The fine was the first for a polluter in Kosovo since it declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Experts have ranked Kosovo among the most polluted territories in Europe.