Transport improvements will also reach major metropolitan areas

Iwo Nowak: Speaking of the improvements in our transport sector planned by the Government for the coming years, I suggest we start, Minister, with the financial resources for the implementation of these plans.

Min. Jerzy Polaczek: Within the framework of the Operational Programme “Infrastructure and Environment”, which is—I do not hesitate to say—one of the two most important programmes in the new 2007-2013 financial perspective, which will ultimately combine a total of €19.1 billion for road, rail, and air investments, for the modernization of inland waterway infrastructure, for the purchase of rolling stock, and many other goals, the main beneficiaries of this programme will be the General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways and Polskie Linie Kolejowe SA. I want to emphasize that one of the more important goals here will also be the improvement of transport in major metropolitan areas. We are anticipating massive expenditures here, which will also benefit local, regional, and voivodeship governments. For example, for the modernization of the Poznań-Ławica airport alone, we are planning an amount of €49 million over the next six years, and in the Greater Poland Voivodeship, over 208 kilometers of roads will be fully modernized this year; their surface will be adapted to European standards, including axle load, i.e., 11.5 tonnes. I do not want to list all the priority road, rail, and air investments we want to implement in the years 2007-2013 here, as their list is provided on the Ministry of Transport’s website.

I. N.: Will anything change in the distribution of these funds for the implementers of individual investments?

Min. J. Polaczek: I want to categorically announce the introduction of a permanent rule that will accompany the inclusion of road projects from January 1, 2007, in the Material and Financial Plan of the National Road Fund or the state budget: an investment task that does not have a building permit at the end of December of the previous year will not be taken into account. This will greatly improve the level of expenditure of own budget funds and strengthen the pace of spending European funds, for which the Minister of Transport is responsible. For the development of intermodal transport in the Operational Programme “Infrastructure and Environment”, we have allocated almost €109 million. If it were otherwise, we would be commenting on the state of implementation of this programme in light of the difficulties in spending European funds, because it would contain tasks that were simply not prepared. For example, I would point to the modernized sections of the E-59 railway line Wrocław – Poznań – Szczecin – Świnoujście. This is an amount of €1.25 billion, of which €370 million was allocated for the Rawicz – Poznań section, €350 million for Poznań – Krzyż, and €530 million for Krzyż – Szczecin. If this investment had been irresponsibly included in the “Infrastructure and Environment” Operational Programme, it would have severely impacted many other prepared investments.

I. N.: So, first the appropriate building permits, and then submitting the investments…

Min. J. Polaczek: I was talking about the rule regarding road investments financed from the budget and the National Road Fund, which is increasingly becoming and will become a source of domestic financing for European projects. If today we are to assess the situation in which about 19% of European funds are involved in road projects, we want to reach a ratio where, in four years, half of the European funds will be involved in road projects implemented through the NRF.

I. N.: Upon taking the position of Minister of Transport, you declared, among other things, that in the Public-Private Partnership system, you would strive to achieve a balance between the parties and respect for mutual interests. How, then, does the construction of the next section of the A2 motorway, Świecko – Nowy Tomyśl, look?

Min. J. Polaczek: Work and talks are underway. We want to refer reliably to the documents that only reached the Ministry and the GDDKiA this year. This concerns documents such as the Traffic Study or the projected financial model, which is necessary to show the public side so that we can also talk about the effects—or lack thereof—on the state budget over the perspective of several decades. We are also using reputable consulting firms that can substantively address what the other side presents. A compromise is the goal we want to reach with the formula for concluding negotiations and launching this project in 2007.