Govt. panel urges regaining control over gas pipeline and fiberoptic cable

Poland has lost control over the Yamal gas pipeline from Russia and the fiber-optic cable accompanying it - these are the findings of the special government commission investigating the matter, claims Rzeczpospolita daily quoting an unpublished report of the commission. According to the report, for the past five years the whole gas pipeline investment has not been properly supervised by the government. Construction of the pipeline began based on an agreement signed by Poland and Russia back in 1993, in which a joint-venture company EuRoPol Gaz was created to service the pipeline. The commission's report charges that EuRoPol broke several of the terms of the 1993 agreement. One of these granted Poland's gas monopoly Polish Gas and Oil Mining (PGNiG) the exclusive rights to operate in Poland the pipeline network and the telecom facilities accompanying it. Another condition which EuRoPol failed to respect was assuring Poland and Russia equal treatment. The commission's report recommends that the government resume supervisory authority over the fulfillment of the 1993 agreement by appointing a special team to handle the matter and amending the telecoms law, so as to introduce licenses for trans-national data transmission. (Rzeczpospolita, p. A4) T.J.