“Rivers for regions - can we afford civilisation projects?”

Among those invited to participate in the session were Jerzy Wcisła, Senator of the Republic of Poland, Przemysław Daca, President of PGWWP, Grzegorz Jagusiak from VAN Cargo S.A., Stanisław Wroński from the Voivodeship Marshal’s advisory team for waterways, and Kamil Tarczewski, Vice-President of the Management Board for Infrastructure of the Port of Gdańsk Authority. The meeting was chaired and moderated by Sławomir Kopyść – member of the board of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship.

The discussion touched on the role of the state in shaping national water policy as well as on public initiatives as a trigger for the development of inland waterway transport. The representatives of the Polish Water Management Authority pointed out the problems with the implementation of the barrage investment in Siarzewo and discussed the current status of work on the above mentioned task. During the discussion, the legitimacy of the construction of the Lower Vistula Cascade as a civilisational challenge was addressed. The panellists also touched on the issues pertaining to the modern supply chain and its relationship to the development of inland navigation. There was also presented a summary of the recent Wisła Cargo 2021 pilot cruise which took place on the lower Vistula. The representative of the Sea Port in Gdańsk highlighted the need for the development of inland navigation and external ports for the optimal functioning of Polish sea ports, as well as the great importance of the Vistula River in the context of handling goods in the Baltic-Adriatic and Baltic-Black Sea transport corridors.

The event was organised by the Marshal’s Office of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship and the Integration and Cooperation Association in Toruń.