Poland Must Up Environmental Spending
2/16/99
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Title: Poland Must Up Environmental Spending
Source: Reuters
Status: Copyrighted, contact source to reprint
Date: 2/16/99
Byline: Piotr Bazylko
WARSAW, Feb 16 (Reuters)Poland must spend $550 million more each year on
improving the environment to meet European Union standards by 2010, the
environment minister said on Tuesday.
While Poland spent more than 2.0 billion euros ($2.2 billion) on
environmental measures in 1997, ``to reach European Union levels we
ought to be spending around 500 million euros more annually,'' Jan
Szyszko told Reuters.
Poland says it hopes to have modernised its laws and institutions
sufficiently to earn EU membership by 2003, but acknowledges areas such
as the environment will take longer to bring up to rigorous EU
standards.
European rules on drinking water standards, clean air and waste
management are far from being met, and Poland still has laws protecting
out-of-date, polluting industries.
Szyszko refused to confirm that Poland was requesting a 10-year delay in
implementing EU environmental rules as part of membership negotiations
it has begun along with four other eastern European states and Cyprus.
``At the moment talks are being held and its too early to say what we
have requested,'' he said. But the Polish press and Brussels diplomats
say the EU will have to grant Poland some grace period on meeting
environmental legislation.
Once a by-word for environmental neglect under communism, Poland has
made
progress in cleaning up industry and improving water and air quality
since 1989. Restructuring of coal, steel and energy industries will
boost the anti-pollution drive.
Some four percent of Polish spending on environmental protection
currently comes from EU funds, with a higher percentage in the pipeline
from 2000.
Before joining the EU, Poland must also resolve costly claims from the
former owners of forests and lakes whose property was nationalised by
communist authorities.
Szyszko said his ministry opposed reprivatising forests and waterways,
preferring to compensate former owners financially, even if costs are in
billions of zlotys.
The forestry board faces claims on 1.9 million hectares out of eight
million hectares of woodland across Poland, he said. ($1-.8942 Euro)
Copyright 1999 Reuters Limited.