Saved by the birds

The European Commission has once again asked Poland's government to abandon its current plan to construct a bypass road through the environmentally-rich Rospuda Valley. If Poland's government does not do so, the EC has threatened to bring the case to the European Court of Justice.

The Rospuda Valley area is recognized as a part of the Natura 2000 network - areas of Europe with protected species and diverse ecosystems. According to EU law, construction work is not allowed in these areas.

"What the Commission does not accept is the irreversible damage that will be caused by the bypass in the Rospuda Valley," Stavros Dimas, the EU Environmental Commissioner, told Reuters. "It is neither necessary nor justified."

The government's official position on the matter is that the construction of the bypass road is not in violation of EU policy. Jan Szyszko, Poland's Environment Minister, stated that the government was ready to defend its position in court.

In addition to Szyszko's response, Transport Minister Jerzy Polaczek has also issued letters of concern to Jacques Barrot, the Deputy President of the EC, and Danuta Hübner, the EU's Commissioner for Regional Policy, asking for a review of the Rospuda case.

However, regardless of the respective positions of Poland's government and the EU authorities, March 1 marked the beginning of the protected avian mating season and no work can be done which would disturb birds from rearing their young. Thus no work affecting trees will be permitted in forested areas until August.

With the arrival of this protected season, about 100 protesters from Greenpeace Poland and several other organizations who spent the last few days in the forest defending the valley from bulldozers have already left the Rospuda area.