Q: One hears that EU funds may prove insufficient to finance all planned infrastructure projects, among others because of the high złoty rate and rising material and labour costs. In his policy speech Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced a green light for public-private partnership on the investment market. Do you think this will be the solution?
A: Quite certainly our investment financing will have to be more complex than it has been to date. For instance, we will have to involve more private capital in the government’s roadbuilding programme if we want it to carry on as planned. And this is happening already. The A2 motorway from Stryków to Konotopa – a very important connection for the Euro 2012 football championships – as well as the A1 stretch from Stryków to Pyrzowice are being built in public-private partnership. If we add to this the A1 segment built by GTC and the now negotiated A2 stretch from Nowy Tomyśl to Świecko, we will see that Poland is one of the major markets for PPP projects.
I’m also in favour of PPP in the construction of high-speed train lines. This government will carry out preliminary surveys showing if such lines could function in Poland, and our successors will be able to begin building them. High-speed trains would link Warsaw with Dresden via Łodź and Wrocław, as well as Berlin and Paris. We could also join the European high-speed train system. However, this will only be possible if we combine budget, private and EU funding.
Q: Building a modern network of roads and motorways was a priority for all previous governments – and all failed at it. What do you plan to do to avoid a similar fate?
A: In speeding up investment my job will be to put through legal amendments as fast as possible. I’ve called up a team to prepare amendments to a number of environment protection, investment, public procurement and other laws. I want these amendments to be ready within the coming three months.
Q: How does the new government plan to step up investment?
A: Legislative work in this sphere is supervised by deputy Minister Andrzej Panasiuk. The main aim is to reduce the decision-making process in the environmental classification of investment projects. Today decisions on whether a projects is environment-friendly or not take too long, there are also many ways in which they may be contested and appealed against, which seriously draws out investment projects.
We are also working on amendments to public procurement laws which will allow the application of PPP not only for large-scale undertakings but also local projects. We must also see to it that the PPP legislation is transparent, not least to protect government and local officials handling investment matters from corruption suspicions.
Q: There is a law permitting the foundation of special-purpose companies to build express- and motorways. Do you plan on using this instrument?
A: Yes. This may considerably speed up road projects. However, they will have to work according to a detailed and very precise plan.
Q: But there already is an authority supervising road projects in Poland – the General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways. Won’t new companies mean more red tape and bureaucracy?
A: These special-purpose units will be regular market companies, not government enterprises. Our job will be to develop an action plan for them, we must also create an incentive system in which it will be more profitable for them to finish projects quickly than to stretch them endlessly.
Q: You’re a lawyer by profession. Does this help in your work as Environment Minister?
A: The key to speeding up road construction and preparing well for Euro 2012 lies in the elimination of existing legal barriers. This task comes under my ministry and, I think, lies precisely within the competencies of a lawyer.