Environmental protection projects are estimated to account for approximately 8 percent of all investment projects in Poland.
Construction of “Czajka” sewage treatment plant in Warsaw co-financed by the European Union from the Cohesion Fund resources. The investment is worth PLN 176.6 million.Environmental protection projects are estimated to account for approximately 8 percent of all investment projects in Poland.
Simplification of legislation
The environmental law has been changed in such a way that environmental protection does not hinder development projects, including infrastructure development projects. The General Directorate for Environmental Protection has been established, as a result of which the process of obtaining environmental decisions necessary to build roads and motorways now takes 100 days instead of the former 300 days. The Law on social participation in environmental protection and on environmental impact assessment has been adopted. The provisions of that Law guarantee compliance of all infrastructure projects with the EU environmental requirements. If not for that Act, adopted in November 2008, Poland would have lost billions of euro in EU funds. Moreover, a comprehensive environmental impact forecasting system has been developed for road construction projects scheduled until 2012, which reconciles the interests of both developers and environmentalists.
A set of waste management laws is being developed, which will be a basis for countrywide management of the recovery and recycling of: glass, metal, paper, electrical and electronic waste, batteries and accumulators, and old cars. A contemporary waste management system will make it possible to close old, environmentally hazardous landfills and to replace them with efficient facilities for waste segregation, waste recycling for production, and energy recovery from waste. The government supports efforts to fight the black market of waste management in Poland.
EU funding
A number of EU co-financed projects under the EU’s largest Operational Programme: Infrastructure and Environment are being successfully implemented. Poland has signed contracts which together correspond to the total amount of EU co-financing in excess of PLN 13 billion. The Government has also succeeded in negotiating certain provisions in the climate and energy package that secure Polish coal-based economy, which has saved the country PLN 60 billion.
Nature 2000
All the Nature 2000 areas in Poland have already been determined, which has given green light to a number of projects and released a part of EU funds. The purpose of determining Nature 2000 areas is to protect endangered natural habitats as well as animal and plant species on the European scale. Those areas are also meant to protect popular natural habitats.
Through successful modernisation of Polish economy over the last two decades, we have succeeded in significantly reducing the volume of greenhouse gas emission, which has dropped by appr. 30 percent compared to 1988 (the Kyoto Protocol provides for a 6 percent reduction). Poland now has surplus CO2 emission rights, which it can sell to other countries. So far, we have earned EUR 80 mln on the sales of CO2 emission rights, which has been allocated to environmental protection projects and implementation of the climate and energy package.
Polish environmental law is compliant with EU legislation
We have fully transposed the EU environmental law into national legislation. We have also caught up on GMO regulations. Polish Sejm is working on a new GMO Law. According to the draft Law, the Minister of Agriculture will be responsible for registering new GMO crops, GMO seeds, GMO farming and the release of GMO feed; the Minister of Health will be responsible for authorising the marketing of pharmaceutical products, and the Chief Sanitary Inspector will be responsible for the release of genetically modified food commodities.
Modern environmental protection technologies
Poland is implementing the GreenEvo Green Technology Accelerator project. The objective of the project is to promote international transfer of innovative environmental protection technologies. The project concerns innovative technological solutions in the field of sewage and waste water treatment, hazardous waste processing, utilisation of renewable energy sources, including agricultural briquetting machines and solar collectors, coke engineering and energy efficient technologies.
New flood protection system
In August 2010, the Government presented a new model of flood protection system. The new draft Water Law transposes relevant provisions of EU legislation, in particular those of the Flood Directive. The new Law, which is being designed by the government, will oblige regional water management office directors to develop flood hazard and flood risk maps and to estimate the possible size of flooded areas. Such maps and estimations are supposed to be taken into consideration for the purposes of land development planning. This way, no development will be planned in areas, where there is a flood risk, such as, for example, in the vicinity of flood banks. The Government will also present their proposal of a comprehensive system of reacting to natural disasters.
Construction of “Czajka” sewage treatment plant in Warsaw co-financed by the European Union from the Cohesion Fund resources. The investment is worth PLN 176.6 million.Environmental protection projects are estimated to account for approximately 8 percent of all investment projects in Poland.Simplification of legislation
The environmental law has been changed in such a way that environmental protection does not hinder development projects, including infrastructure development projects. The General Directorate for Environmental Protection has been established, as a result of which the process of obtaining environmental decisions necessary to build roads and motorways now takes 100 days instead of the former 300 days. The Law on social participation in environmental protection and on environmental impact assessment has been adopted. The provisions of that Law guarantee compliance of all infrastructure projects with the EU environmental requirements. If not for that Act, adopted in November 2008, Poland would have lost billions of euro in EU funds. Moreover, a comprehensive environmental impact forecasting system has been developed for road construction projects scheduled until 2012, which reconciles the interests of both developers and environmentalists.
A set of waste management laws is being developed, which will be a basis for countrywide management of the recovery and recycling of: glass, metal, paper, electrical and electronic waste, batteries and accumulators, and old cars. A contemporary waste management system will make it possible to close old, environmentally hazardous landfills and to replace them with efficient facilities for waste segregation, waste recycling for production, and energy recovery from waste. The government supports efforts to fight the black market of waste management in Poland.
EU funding
A number of EU co-financed projects under the EU’s largest Operational Programme: Infrastructure and Environment are being successfully implemented. Poland has signed contracts which together correspond to the total amount of EU co-financing in excess of PLN 13 billion. The Government has also succeeded in negotiating certain provisions in the climate and energy package that secure Polish coal-based economy, which has saved the country PLN 60 billion.
Nature 2000
All the Nature 2000 areas in Poland have already been determined, which has given green light to a number of projects and released a part of EU funds. The purpose of determining Nature 2000 areas is to protect endangered natural habitats as well as animal and plant species on the European scale. Those areas are also meant to protect popular natural habitats.
Through successful modernisation of Polish economy over the last two decades, we have succeeded in significantly reducing the volume of greenhouse gas emission, which has dropped by appr. 30 percent compared to 1988 (the Kyoto Protocol provides for a 6 percent reduction). Poland now has surplus CO2 emission rights, which it can sell to other countries. So far, we have earned EUR 80 mln on the sales of CO2 emission rights, which has been allocated to environmental protection projects and implementation of the climate and energy package.
Polish environmental law is compliant with EU legislation
We have fully transposed the EU environmental law into national legislation. We have also caught up on GMO regulations. Polish Sejm is working on a new GMO Law. According to the draft Law, the Minister of Agriculture will be responsible for registering new GMO crops, GMO seeds, GMO farming and the release of GMO feed; the Minister of Health will be responsible for authorising the marketing of pharmaceutical products, and the Chief Sanitary Inspector will be responsible for the release of genetically modified food commodities.
Modern environmental protection technologies
Poland is implementing the GreenEvo Green Technology Accelerator project. The objective of the project is to promote international transfer of innovative environmental protection technologies. The project concerns innovative technological solutions in the field of sewage and waste water treatment, hazardous waste processing, utilisation of renewable energy sources, including agricultural briquetting machines and solar collectors, coke engineering and energy efficient technologies.
New flood protection system
In August 2010, the Government presented a new model of flood protection system. The new draft Water Law transposes relevant provisions of EU legislation, in particular those of the Flood Directive. The new Law, which is being designed by the government, will oblige regional water management office directors to develop flood hazard and flood risk maps and to estimate the possible size of flooded areas. Such maps and estimations are supposed to be taken into consideration for the purposes of land development planning. This way, no development will be planned in areas, where there is a flood risk, such as, for example, in the vicinity of flood banks. The Government will also present their proposal of a comprehensive system of reacting to natural disasters.