PLANNING FOR A SUSTAINABLE EUROPE? - TU Berlin

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clear environmental commitments, the 1994/5 White Paper can thus not be characterized
as a typical ecological modernization policy paper. Even as a basic infrastructure
modernization program it was rightfully considered lacking by both national and
international experts. In this sense, Polish national transport policy of the mid-1990s was
thus still rather different from both EU member state policy at the national level, as well
as from EU transport policy as a whole.
The most controversial element of the policy was its approach to motorway
expansion. In 1996, two of the country’s leading environmental non-governmental
organizations, the research-oriented Institute for Sustainable Development and the more
activist/advocacy-oriented Polish Ecological Club, therefore assembled a team of
internationally respected Polish experts, drafted an “Alternative Transport Policy for
Poland” (Instytut na Rzecz Ekorozwojo (Institute for Sustainable Development) 1996)
and challenged the national government to a debate. When the World Bank then agreed
to host a seminar on the topic in April 1998, the new government could do little but
accept the challenge. The ensuing debate between the Ministry of Transport – headed by
the Minister himself – and the environmentalists was closely followed by the European
Commission and IFI representatives. Noting that “Poland is notable for its vigorous
community of organizations concerned about the environment,” the World Bank
summarized the key issues of the debate as follows (World Bank 1999:33-34):
[The Alternative Transport Policy] showed that extrapolation of the Government’s
present policies – supportive of private car use and road transport generally,
construction of motorways, and neglect of urban public transport – would carry a
much higher environmental cost than a strongly pro-public transport, pro-rail, antiprivate
cars policy. The analysis omits assessment of the economic benefits from
greater travel and transport, so remains only partial. It does not address the question
of what policy instruments could achieve the environmentally-friendly scenarios, and
what effort – chiefly political – would be needed.