Deadlock broken over Poland's road construction debacle
22:49
Poland has agreed to resolve disputes with European construction firms about Poland’s failure to pay for road construction performed by foreign contractors, according to the Irish government.
Ireland’s European Affairs Minister Paschal Donohoe met with senior Polish infrastructure officials.
“We had a constructive meeting this morning. We had a clear and substantial exchange of views regarding very differing views on this matter,” Donohoe told Reuters in an interview. “It was positive.”
Many of the companies accused the Polish state road agency of causing them to suffer heavy losses, sometimes resulting in their bankruptcy, like in the case of Austrian company Alpine Bau. Poland had long denied the allegations.
The minister said the Polish officials agreed to continue the discussions with Ireland, which he called “an important development on this issue.”
Poland is in dispute with several European construction companies, including Ireland’s SIAC, SISK and Roadbridge, Austria’s Strabag and Alpine Bau, a unit of Spain’s Ferrovial and a unit of Germany’s Bilfinger.
