Environment transition periods relinquished as EU chapter nears closure

Poland has significantly eased its stance in environmental negotiations with the EU in order to close this chapter of talks within the next three months, the government announced on Friday. Transition periods in 14 different areas of environmental standards had originally been requested, but the government has now given up on six of them and softened its demands on the other eight. However, it still wants long transition periods in areas where meeting the standards will be very expensive, such as the deadline for building EU-required waste treatment plants, costing euro 15 million, which Poland wants to complete by 2015. The Environment Ministry claims the total cost of adjusting to EU environmental norms will reach some euro 30-40 million.(Gazeta Wyborcza, April 7-8, p.28) T.J.