Poland and Commission clash over new motorway

The European Commission and Poland are clashing over plans to build a road from Poland to Finland, amid environmental concerns over parts of the project.

The Commission yesterday (28 February) sent Warsaw a final warning over a section of the ‘Via Baltica’ in north-east Poland. Legal action has been speeded up by news that work on the Augustów bypass started last week despite environmental concerns from the Commission and conservation groups.

The bypass crosses the Rospuda Valley, a wilderness protected under the EU wild birds directive. Poland has one week to respond to the warning, after which time the Commi-ssion could request an emergency legal injunction to stop works.

If successful, this would be the first emergency injunction taken against an EU project.

Alternative routes and the possibility of replacing part of the road with a tunnelhave all been rejected by Poland on environm-ental or cost grounds.

There is also considerable local support for the project, which would divert traffic from residential areas. Local protestors this month tried to break up a camp of environ-mental activists opposed to the project. Poland is considering holding a local referendum to decide the fate of the Augustow bypass.

Helen Byron of Birdlife UK, a conservation group, pointed out that a referendum could not overturn EU law.

She added that the people of the region were being asked to choose between the Via Baltica or nothing and had not been shown the alternatives.

A Polish diplomat said machinery was in place to start work on the bypass but no construction was under way. He added that the environment ministry was looking at all the alternatives with the Commission. "It is not easy to find a good solution," he said. "All solutions appear to be controversial for one side or another."

The European Commission and Poland are clashing over plans to build a road from Poland to Finland, amid environmental concerns over parts of the project.