• European Court confirms legal action over Rospuda valley

    The Commission has begun legal action against Poland to protect valuable wildlife habitats from a new motorway.

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    In February Brussels gave Warsaw seven days to order a stop to work on the Augustow by-pass, part of the Warsaw-Helsinki Via Baltica motorway which is planned to go through the wetlands of the Rospuda Valley. These wetlands enjoy protection under the EU’s Natura 2000 scheme.

    Environmental groups welcomed the decision, saying it was regrettable but necessary to stop Poland’s “reckless approach to natural treasure”.

    Poland’s standing in the environmental community suffered a further setback on 16 March, when three European diplomats investigating the Augustow by-pass project were blocked from accompanying diplomats from seven EU embassies. The three are reported to have been blocked by two cars, one driven by the leader of the by-pass’s builders, the other displaying the logo of the Polish Road Agency.

    This news story is taken from the April 2007 edition of T&E Bulletin.