Poland active participant in infrastructure partnerships between Europe and Asia

I would like to begin by emphasising that I consider it a great honour to participate in the meeting of the “ 16 +1” format ministers of transport organised in Poland. I am glad that I am able to speak to such an honourable group of representatives of the Central and Eastern European countries and the People’s Republic of China, whom I warmly welcome to Warsaw. I would like to congratulate Minister Marek Gróbarczyk on the inauguration of the operation of the Coordinating Secretariat for Maritime Issues, and assure him of the full support and cooperation on the part of the Ministry of Infras t ruc ture and Const ruction. I would like to express my special thanks to Prime Minister Beata Szydło for her great contribution to building strong, partnership-based relations with the Central and Eastern European countries and the People’s Republic of China – the countries which are very important to Poland in the context of shaping an effective transport policy to support our economic relations. As repeatedly referred to by the Prime Minister, transport plays a key role in the development of trade between China and Europe. Thus, we should jointly develop and consolidate cooperation in this area, especially since we still have a lot of great potential which can be put to good use. I am convinced that the development of transport with the use of Eurasian transport routes will bring mutual benefits both for China and for the countries of our region. Recently, Poland has amply confirmed that it is an active participant in valuable initiatives aimed at developing infrastructure and logistics partnerships between Europe and Asia. Therefore, we also see a great opportunity in the implementation of the “Belt and Road” concept , in order to intensify the cooperation under the “16+1” format . I would like to emphasise that one of the most impor tant factors determining the effectiveness of the undertakings I am referring to is the optimal use of the seaports and the Far East trade. In the given circums tances, infrastructure investments ensuring access to ports from the land side are of fundamental significance. I want to assure you that this matter is of the highest importance to the ministry of which I am in charge. Our goal is, inter alia, to complete the construction of the S3 expressway, which will ensure a high-quality road connection bet ween the ports of Szczecin and Świnoujście and the Czech Republic, and via the Czech road network to the southern part of Europe. The railway connection with industrial centres of Western and Southern Europe is equally impor tant , especially to the lines included in the international communicat ion routes of the TEN-T net work. We are also improving the availability of ports in Gdańsk and Gdynia, inter alia through the consistent development of two key road routes, namely the A1 motorway and the S7 expressway. The “Via Carpatia” corridor is another important project, both in line with the implementation of the “Belt and Road” ini tiative, par ticularly impor tant for the “16+1” format , and the plans to increase the accessibility of seaports. These routes are the missing link on the map of European road corridors, and,through the branches we have built, andwhich lead, among others, to Tricity, theyhave a chance to ensure a new, effective connection between the Baltic ports andthe southern parts of Europe. To illustrate the scale of the investment process we are carrying out, I would like to mention that the expenses approved by the Government of Poland for infrastructural investments, including those I have just mentioned, amount to approximately 60 billion dollars, and are implemented under two key programmes: the National Railway Programme and the National Roads Construction Programme, with a time h orizon ending in 2023. On this occasion, it is impossible not to mention that, as a ministry, we actively take part in the process of deepening the Eurasian par tnership. In September this year, the deputy minister of infrastructure and construction, Mrs Justyna Skrzydło, took par t in the 2nd “Belt and Road” summit in Hong Kong as the only European speaker. Due to the optimal location in the heart of Europe, wide acces s to the sea, as well as the system of railway tracks of dif ferent widths, Poland plays a key role as a transit country on the routes between Europe, Central Asia and the Far East. The acceleration of the process of removing transport bot tlenecks is in our common interest due to the great importance of Eurasian connections, and it is a significant  part of the process of including Eastern European countries into the economic system of the European Union. Poland’s support for the extension of the Trans-European Transport Network, abbreviated as “TEN-T”, to the countries of the Eastern Par tnership area constitutes an expression of striving to achieve this goal. I would like to express my thanks for the opportunity to participate in the opening of the meeting of the ministers of transport of the “16+1” format. I hope that both the discussions and the exchange of ideas at the political and business levels will bring many benef its and set directions for the development of cooperation in the area of transport and infrastructure between our countries.

Minister of Infrastructure and Construction of the Republic of Poland, Andrzej Adamczyk