POLAND: Highway Dreams Fly Over Rospuda Valley

By Zoltán Dujisin Reprint | | Print |

Zoltán Dujisin

BUDAPEST, May 18 2007 (IPS) - In a campaign that has won the support of Polish public opinion and the European Union (EU), environmental groups are hoping to thwart the Polish cabinet’s plan to construct a highway over the protected Rospuda valley.

Citing environmental concerns, the European Union’s (EU) Court of Justice has ordered a halt to the project while it appraises the case, with construction firms already on the site.

“The Polish government officially said it is waiting for the court’s decision, but they have started work in sections which are not critical for the environment,” Robert Cyglicki, a representative from the CEE (Central Eastern Europe) Bankwatch Network, an environment group, told IPS.

“The Polish government is giving the bad impression that it won’t fulfil its obligations,” says Cyglicki. “It seems they either don’t understand or don’t want to understand the situation.”

In a preceding statement the European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, had declared it supported “the upgrading of road infrastructure in Poland…but it does not accept that the irreversible damage that will be caused by the bypasses is either necessary or justified.”

The Via Baltica highway would run from Prague in the Czech Republic through Poland to the Finnish capital Helsinki through Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, turning it into the most important road connection between Baltic States.

The road is sought by both Scandinavian and Baltic states, who are looking forward to enhancing trade relations between the previously disconnected regions.

Its most controversial section and the one prompting the European Commision to open legal infringement procedures against the Polish government is a bypass road to avoid traffic in Augustow, a town of 30,000.

The bypass estimated to cost 140 million euro would run through the protected peat bog area that surrounds the Rospuda river valley in northeastern Poland, endangering its environmental balance and several rare animal and plant species.

The area is protected under the EU’s Natura 2000 network of conservation sites. It is included in a list of areas which according to specialists should be officially designated an EU Special Area of Conservation.

Poland denies the project is in conflict with the EU’s nature protection legislation, and Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski insists he is only fighting for “Poland’s right to rapid development.” He has said that if any group blocks such a major development, “Poland’s great opportunity will be lost.”

Environment groups admit the necessity of the highway and even the bypass, but argue that the road could instead cut through the southern instead of the northern part of the valley as a way to save its habitat.

Poland’s General Management of the State Roads and Highways did not carry out an analysis of route variants for the Augustow bypass in spite of a European Council recommendation to do so, and is so far ruling out the possibility.

The agency insists that the chosen route is the most economically and technically feasible, and that any others would hinge on the road’s safety.

Poland’s environment ministry refused appeals by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the Polish Ombudsman, and gave environmental consent for the bypass without a proper strategic environmental assessment, environment groups say.

As work on the motorway continues, the Polish government is beginning to fear that its plan to build 7,000 kilometres of highway with the help of EU funds could be thwarted as it also risks paying millions of euros worth of fines.

The construction company involved could be held financially responsible. NGOs cite a recent EU directive that places responsibility also on bodies implementing projects that damage the environment.

“This is not only damaging Poland’s image, it will also affect Commission funding for different projects in the country,” Cyglicki told IPS.

The environmentalist argues that the stubbornness of the Polish cabinet derives from “decision makers refusing to admit they have made a mistake, because they fear the opposition could use this against them, or because they think that by losing Rospuda this will have consequences for other motorways being built around the country.”

Hoping to quell opposition to his plans, Kaczynski has announced a regional referendum to be held May 20, but the European Commission and environment groups were quick to remind him that illegal acts cannot be put to referendum, and that its results should only be seen as residents’ opinion.

The groups also contest Kaczynski’s view that the matter is purely regional, and insist that the area’s protection deserves nationwide concern.

The mayor and several citizens of Augustow support the construction of the bypass, weary of heavy traffic in the area. Locals not only hope for a reduction in traffic, but expect the new highway to bring economic opportunities to the economically depressed region.

Some have doubted the supposed benefits, and contest this view by pointing out it is the region’s unspoilt environment that constitutes its main economic asset.

In a related development, the Commission also gave Poland a written warning due to Warsaw’s failure to produce a sufficient number of proposals for sites that should be included in the Natura 2000 network.