Private investors vital to Poland’s road building plans

Completing all essential road construction projects for Euro 2012 will be impossible without the participation of private investors, Poland’s infrastructure minister, Cezary Grabarczyk, warned in a recent press interview. The minister also said that over the next three months the Ministry will prepare a number of projects aimed at streamlining investment procedures.
The authorities have already made a number of changes in the law that will shorten the time needed to obtain environmental approval for an investment. Moreover, the minister announced that an amendment to the Public Procurement Act is being drafted to ensure that the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) system will cover not only major undertakings but also smaller projects which are important for local communities.
Mr Grabarczyk is also keen to increase the share of private capital in undertakings carried out on the basis of the PPP system.
The public-private partnership model may also be used to build a high-speed railway, Mr Grabarczyk claimed. According to the minister, a feasibility study will be carried out during the present pariamentary term, which will provide a framework for the next government to begin implementing the necessary procedures. The project in question concerns a railway that will link Warsaw with Dresden, Berlin and Paris via Lodz and Wroclaw. In the opinion of Mr. Grabarczyk, such an undertaking will be possible if essential funding is made available from the state budget, the European Union and private sources.
Source: polishmarket.com