Rospuda postponed

The Polish government has decided to pospone construction of a bypass road through the Rospuda Valley, designed to ease traffic congestion in the area, in the face of harsh EU-criticism. The construction, postponed back in March due to the local birds' breeding period, was scheduled to start up again on August 1.

"We need to show more temperance in this issue," said Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński. In March, the European Commission sued Poland in the European Court of Justice (ECJ) for breaking EU law on environmental protection. On July 29 it also appealed to the ECJ for urgent measures to be taken in order to stop the construction of the road if started.

The inhabitants of nearby Augustów demand that the works start as soon as possible to the alleviate the city's traffic congestion. On July 30 several hundred people blocked traffic through the center of Augustów. Two days later, they also protested in Warsaw at Greenpeace's local office. They are now planning a protest in Brussels.

Greenpeace spokesman, Poland Jacek Winiarski, claims that not all Augustów inhabitants support the present solution. He points out that the construction of an alternative bypass would take up to a maximum of six years.

Still, the spokesperson for the General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways, Andrzej Maciejewski, says that no feasibility testing on alternative road has been carried out, and that if this were to be done the investment would be significantly delayed. He also argues that the alternative is no less harmful than the current project.