OPEN BORDERS, BROKEN PROMISES

The report warns that Poland's economic restructuring and privatization are attracting 'dirty' foreign investment, where transnational corporations (TNCs) and international financial institutions apply lower environmental standards than in their home countries. It highlights risks such as the transfer of hazardous technologies, illegal waste imports, and the promotion of 'end-of-pipe' solutions over clean production. To mitigate these risks, the document proposes a framework of seven contractual principles—including the right to know, strict liability, and mandatory environmental audits—to be inserted into privatization contracts until robust national legislation is enacted.

• Poland is highly susceptible to 'dirty investment' due to a weak economy that prioritizes low costs over safety, developing democratic institutions that limit public access to information, and unenforced environmental regulations that allow foreign corporations to maintain double standards.
• The World Bank has been criticized for promoting the migration of polluting industries to less developed countries and for prioritizing traditional CFC-blown insulation pipes in Poland despite the Montreal Protocol.
• Foreign investment in Poland often focuses on short-term returns and market entry rather than long-term industrial modernization or clean production, frequently importing goods or technologies that are restricted in the West.
• Specific examples of problematic joint ventures in Poland include the transfer of polystyrene production from Austria and Germany by Greiner und Soehne, and the production of disposable PVC packaging by Compagnie Générale d’Eaux des Sources.
• The Polish government has weakened environmental protections during privatization by repealing laws that allowed the refusal of investment on environmental grounds and removing tax incentives for environmental protection.
• There is a trend of promoting 'end-of-pipe' solutions, such as industrial waste incinerators and Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD) plants, which treat pollution rather than eliminating it at the source.
• A proposed 'Comparative Environmental Audit' would require investors to compare the environmental performance of their Polish facilities with their most protective facilities worldwide, ensuring no lower standards are applied in Poland.

APA

Kruszewska, I. (1993). OPEN BORDERS, BROKEN PROMISES. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/OpenBorders_BrokenPromises_Jun1993.pdf

Chicago

Kruszewska, Iza. OPEN BORDERS, BROKEN PROMISES. Center for International Environmental Law, 1993. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/OpenBorders_BrokenPromises_Jun1993.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kruszewska |first1=Iza |title=OPEN BORDERS, BROKEN PROMISES |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=3 June 1993 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/OpenBorders_BrokenPromises_Jun1993.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kruszewska1993open, author = {Kruszewska, Iza}, title = {{OPEN BORDERS, BROKEN PROMISES}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {1993}, month = jun, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/OpenBorders_BrokenPromises_Jun1993.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }