Poland’s ambitious infrastructure investment plans are being stalled by understaffed and underfunded Regional Directorates for Environmental Protection (RDOŚ). The average waiting time for an environmental decision on road or rail projects has now stretched to nearly two years, prompting lawmakers to demand urgent action.
The parliamentary infrastructure committee adopted a desideratum on July 2, calling for an immediate increase in both personnel and financial resources for the RDOŚ. The move comes in response to mounting complaints from contractors and local authorities, who say the sluggish procedures are blocking projects worth billions of zlotys.
Piotr Otawski, the General Director for Environmental Protection, told the committee that in some voivodeships each official handling environmental impact assessments handles up to 50 cases per year. – According to the Code of Administrative Procedure, a complex case should be processed within 60 days, not one week – he explained.
Promised jobs still not delivered
Otawski revealed that talks with the Ministry of Finance launched in 2024 envisaged creating 193 new positions across the RDOŚ over five years. While 43 posts were added last year, the next tranche of 46 planned for this year has still not been approved. – The investments in the RDOŚ are not just investments in the environment, they are investments in development. The lack of staff directly affects the country’s growth potential – he stressed.
The issue has united unlikely allies. Construction firms, often critical of bureaucracy, are now backing the officials’ demands. Wojciech Trojanowski, board member of Strabag, pointed out that public administration must grow in step with the scale of projects. – We cannot assume that institutions that handled 20 billion zlotys will magically handle 100 billion without additional resources – he said.
Political rift over timing
The committee’s vote was not unanimous. Law and Justice (PiS) deputies abstained, arguing they had not had time to review the exact wording of the document, which was presented only at the start of the session. Deputy Barbara Oliwiecka countered that the issue had been discussed for months and needed an immediate decision.
Contractors and public investors alike hope the parliamentary pressure will unblock the long-awaited funding and staff increases. Without them, the risk of delays on key motorways, railways and energy projects will only grow.
Źródło: WNP.PL, Fot. GDDKiA / Mateusz Grzeszczuk
