Updates for journalists and media professionals
Without proper assessment of all available alternatives, the Polish
government is backing the most controversial and environmentally-damaging variant for the Via Baltica international corridor along road number eight in northeast Poland. The planned route will increase traffic flows and cause unnecessary and irreversible damage to five valuable, biologically diverse sites, regions designated as Special Areas of Conservation under the European Union’s Natura 2000 network.
Recently the European Commission took action to stop this violation of EU legislation, since construction on this part of the Via Baltica corridor would cross the protected Rospuda wetlands and Knyszyn Forest (find out more information on the case here).
While the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention recommended that a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) be completed before deciding the route of the expressway, the Polish government exerted political pressure to undermine the initial results of a strategic analysis prepared by an international consultancy group, since the presented economic and technical scenarios differed from ruling political party preferences.
Currently the European Parliament’s Petition Committee is investigating the case. Its members visited the site in June and will likely adopt a critical report about the case on September 13.