Zaplacz nad rzeką: polskie rzeki zagrożone dobro wspólne

The author criticizes the Polish government's 'Assumptions for the development of inland waterways in Poland for 2016-2020 with a perspective to 2030', which aims to canalize the Vistula and Odra rivers. The text argues that these plans contradict the EU Water Framework Directive and other environmental directives, risking the destruction of Natura 2000 sites. It claims that the projects will exacerbate droughts and floods, create water conflicts with the coal-based energy sector, and incur massive public costs—estimated at nearly 20 billion euros by 2030—without providing realistic economic benefits. The author advocates for a shift toward local community management, sustainable ecotourism, and adapting vessels to the rivers' natural states instead of modifying the rivers for large barges.

• Government plans to develop inland waterways on the Vistula and Odra rivers are viewed as threats to the environment and local communities, potentially leading to increased flooding, droughts, and the destruction of valuable habitats.
• The Vistula is described as likely the largest river in the European Union that remains close to its natural state, featuring 20 Natura 2000 areas, 16 nature reserves, 5 landscape parks, and 13 protected landscape areas.
• The government's strategy for inland waterway development (2016-2020, perspective to 2030) proposes canalizing the Middle Vistula Valley to create the E40 river highway from Odessa to Gdańsk, which would violate the Water Framework Directive, the Habitats Directive, and the Birds Directive.
• There is a fundamental conflict between the water requirements for navigation and flood protection; navigation requires storing water in reservoirs for low-water periods, while flood protection requires those reservoirs to be empty to absorb flood waves.
• The development of inland shipping may cause water shortages for other sectors, particularly the coal-based energy sector, which provides 88% of Poland's electricity and relies heavily on river water for cooling.
• The estimated cost of developing inland shipping is nearly 20 billion euros by 2030, including approximately 2.3 billion euros by 2020, which the author considers a waste of public funds given the existing capacity of the state railway system.
• The 'ODRA-VISTULA FLOOD MANAGEMENT PROJECT' is criticized as a disguised canalization program funded by a 1.317 billion dollar package including loans from the World Bank (504 million USD), the Council of Europe Development Bank (329 million USD), and an EU grant (219 million USD).

APA

Gawlik, E. S.-J. R. (2016). Zaplacz nad rzeką: polskie rzeki zagrożone dobro wspólne. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/zaplacz-nad-rzeka-polskie-rzeki-zagrozone-dobro-wspolne/

Chicago

Gawlik, Ewa Sufin-Jacquemart, Radosław. Zaplacz nad rzeką: polskie rzeki zagrożone dobro wspólne. Green European Journal, 2016. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/zaplacz-nad-rzeka-polskie-rzeki-zagrozone-dobro-wspolne/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Gawlik |first1=Ewa Sufin-Jacquemart, Radosław |title=Zaplacz nad rzeką: polskie rzeki zagrożone dobro wspólne |publisher=Green European Journal |date=1 December 2016 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/zaplacz-nad-rzeka-polskie-rzeki-zagrozone-dobro-wspolne/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{gawlik2016zaplacz, author = {Gawlik, Ewa Sufin-Jacquemart, Radosław}, title = {{Zaplacz nad rzeką: polskie rzeki zagrożone dobro wspólne}}, publisher = {Green European Journal}, year = {2016}, month = dec, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/zaplacz-nad-rzeka-polskie-rzeki-zagrozone-dobro-wspolne/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }