284 of 500 signatures

The European Commission; the governments of Poland, Ukraine and Belarus

This petition is run by the “Save Polesia” coalition

Petition

We ask you:

  • Not to allocate TEN-T, recovery or any other EU funding for the E40 waterway,
  • to undertake a comprehensive strategic assessment of the risks and benefits of the E40 waterway to inform a strategic decision;
  • to protect Polesia’s world class nature and other valuable landscapes along the wild rivers threatened by proposed E40 waterway, such as the Vistula river in Poland.

Why is this important?

Did you know that Europe has its very own ‘Amazon’? Polesia is a gigantic labyrinth of bogs, swamps and streams. A major spot for biodiversity, this Eastern region is also a critical lung for our whole continent. [1]

But plans to build a 2,000 km shipping channel connecting the Black and Baltic Seas threaten this extraordinary area. It would destroy Polesia’s rivers and wetlands. It would also endanger the survival of already threatened European bisons, wolves and lynxes. [2]

What’s worse, this could be done with European taxpayers’ money. The European Commission said it wants to significantly increase transport through water channels. But it didn’t emphasise that this shouldn’t be done at the cost of destroying pristine landscapes, or of devastating the little wildlife left in our continent.

Now that the Commission is due to start assigning funding for cross-border transport mega projects, the channel could be on the cards. But unfortunately very few people know about Europe’s Amazon and the risk of its destruction being potentially funded by EU taxpayers.

If the Commission sees that tens of thousands of people are against it, it could decide not to fund this horror project. Could you please help by signing the petition and sharing it to everyone you know?

References:

  1. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/06/the-race-to-save-polesia-europes-secret-amazon-aoe
    https://savepolesia.org/polesia
  2. There are solutions that don’t involve massive damage. Instead of destroying Europe’s lungs, investments could be made in the already existing railway network connecting the Baltic and Black Seas. IIn fact, transport along a waterway would be slower, more expensive, more polluting, and less reliable than electric rail. More details:
    https://savepolesia.org/the-threat and https://savepolesia.org/the-solution

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