Rospuda River Valley

The Via Baltica is a section of the E67, the international road that links Warsaw and Helsinki and facilitates the communication between Poland and Scandinavia and passes through the Baltic States. There is a conflict concerning the construction of the bypass skirting the towns of Augustów and Wasilkow. The layout which has been retained by the public authorities passes through the Rospuda River Valley which is a unique natural area in Europe. According to the critics of this planned road, the construction and the future use of the road will endanger the balance of the ecosystem which has developed in the area. But in spite of multiple requests to try to save the valley, including the European Union and Greenpeace, Jan Szyszko, Polish Minister for the Environment and the Voïvode have given their agreement to starting the work. As work on these 2 projects has begun, the European Commission postponed asking the Court to take transitory measures to request that Poland suspends all work without delay. To illustrate this, the Audiovisual Service prepared an infoclip which contains the following footage: - general shots of the Rospuda River Valley, its ecosystem and the original road - workers and bulldozers at work - abandoned agricultural sites - the new road's layout.

European Commission | April 16, 2007

Tags:. .try. .planned. .general. .service. .public