Complaint against new container terminal rejected by Polish court
A Polish court has rejected a complaint filed by Polish and German environmental organisations against Poland's plans to build a massive deep-water container terminal in the northwestern city of Swinoujscie.
The terminal is one of the biggest projects in Poland's maritime economy and is to be completed by 2029.
In February, Poland's General Directorate for Environmental Protection issued an environmental decision that gave the green light for the investment.
But in March the German environmental organisation Buergerinitiative Lebensraum Vorpommern and the Polish association Zielone Wyspy Swinoujscie filed a complaint with the Province Administrative Court in Warsaw, which suspended the environmental decision pending trial.
On Monday, the court dismissed the complaint, opening the door to the investment. The ruling is not final and can be appealed.
Deputy Infrastructure Minister Arkadiusz Marchewka said the fact that the court had upheld the environmental decision allowed Poland to go ahead with the project.
"We're planning first investment work at the end of the third quarter or the beginning of the fourth quarter, (that is - PAP) the construction of the so-called technical road," Marchewka said.
"Our opponents tried at every stage to 'bomb' the investment and we're expecting further actions," he added.
"But we continue to do our job, because it's a strategic investment for Poland that impacts our security in general," Marchewka commented.(PAP)jd/mf
