The Voivodeship Administrative Court in Warsaw, acting upon a request filed by, among others, the German association Lebensraum Vorpommern, has suspended the construction of a deep-water terminal in Świnoujście. “If this stands, it’s simply a crime against our economy,” said Law and Justice (PiS) MP Kacper Płażyński.
On Monday, the Voivodeship Administrative Court in Warsaw issued a ruling to suspend the issuance of an environmental decision for the construction of a deep-water container terminal in Świnoujście – the matter has been reported by German media, including Ostsee Zeitung.
This is the result of a lawsuit filed by the German organization Lebensraum Vorpommern and the municipality of Ostseebad Heringsdorf. The claim alleges that before launching the investment, “the contamination of the seabed with munitions in this part of the Baltic Sea was not adequately examined.”
After the court’s decision, the German side declared a partial victory. The verdict is not final, and attorneys representing the German side expect it to be appealed by the General Directorate for Environmental Protection and the investor. German Green Party MEP Hannah Neumann did not hide her satisfaction.
“This is an important signal for the protection of our Baltic Sea – and a clear sign that European environmental law is being taken seriously. The Natura 2000 areas off the coasts of the islands of Usedom and Wolin are among the most valuable natural regions in this area,” she stated.
“A crime against the economy”
Today, during a press conference in the Sejm, the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Maritime Economy and Inland Navigation, Kacper Płażyński, commented on the court’s decision.
“If this stands, it’s simply a crime against our economy. As head of the Maritime Economy Committee, I have today directed a number of questions to the Minister of Infrastructure, urging him to urgently clarify the situation, to urgently explain what our next steps will be, so that we can all feel calm and safe – and ensure that this investment, into which we have already poured a lot of money, succeeds. We cannot allow local politicians like the mayor of Świnoujście, elected with the support of Civic Platform (PO) and the Left, who from the beginning has been obstructing this extremely important project, to celebrate,” said Płażyński.
“Salt in the German eye”
For quite some time, the German side has been trying to torpedo the investment in the container terminal in Świnoujście through various means, primarily by exploiting environmental concerns. Marek Gróbarczyk, former Deputy Minister of Infrastructure, pointed out that attempts to exclude the Lower Oder from navigability – through the creation of a national park – could weaken the terminal’s effectiveness. “All of this is aimed at undermining Poland’s competitiveness compared to German ports,” he assessed.
“The Port of Rostock, the largest German port on the Baltic Sea, is also feeling the pressure from the expansion of infrastructure in Świnoujście. Karsten Lentz, head of the logistics company Euroports in Rostock, admits that both ports compete for customers in the same markets. In his view, investments in Świnoujście may threaten Rostock’s position, primarily due to lower road costs for trucks in Poland and better transport connections,” reported the portal filarybiznesu.pl a few months ago.