Polish Via Baltica construction firm learns what environmental devastation will cost
A Polish construction company – Budimex-Dromex – that has won the tender to build part of the Via Baltica transport corridor in north-east Poland through protected wetlands in the stunning Rospuda Valley has been warned today by five environmental organisations based in Brussels and Poland that it will be financially responsible for damage inflicted on nature. [1]
The environmental groups based their warning on a new EU Directive (2004/35/EC) on environmental liability with regard to the prevention and remedying of environmental damage. The directive places responsibility for damage caused not only on project investors or authorities but also on operators – those directly implementing projects that damage the environment.
Magda Stoczkiewicz, Policy coordinator for CEE Bankwatch Network, said: “Although we have suggested a better and greener alternative, the current bypass route around the town of Augustow that is part of the Via Baltica is guaranteed to cause damage as it runs right through the wetlands in the Rospuda Valley. The local authority knows this, the Polish government knows this, the European Commission has verified this, and now the company should be aware that it will be financially liable for the damage.”
In December 2006 the European Commission officially opened legal infringement procedures against the Polish government for consenting to a series of eight road developments along the Via Baltica route which are set to severely damage important, and protected, natural sites.
The road developments as they are currently proposed run straight through the Augustow and Knyszyn Primeval Forests and the Biebrza Marshes National Park. These areas contain a magnificent array of threatened wildlife including wolf, lynx and both Lesser-spotted and White-tailed eagles.
Konstantin Kreiser, from BirdLife International’s European Division, added: “All of the areas in question are protected as Natura 2000 sites under the EU Birds and Habitats Directives. Natura 2000 is a network representing Europe’s most valuable sites for biodiversity.”
NGOs hope that Budimex will take seriously the financial liability and will reconsider its participation in the project.
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