Free travel on motorways, including private ones? Representatives of the ruling camp make further declarations on this matter. We’ll get it done within a year, PiS president Jarosław Kaczyński promised over the weekend. On Wednesday, however, Deputy Minister of Funds and Regional Policy Marcin Horała admitted that private owners may “not want any change” and the government will be ready to pay compensation only in a “reasonable amount”. Waldemar Buda, the Minister of Development and Technology, spoke about the possibility of expropriation “if there is no willingness to negotiate”.
Over the weekend, at the PiS convention, the party’s president, Jarosław Kaczyński, presented several programmatic promises. One of them is the abolition of motorway tolls. – When it comes to state fees, if we manage to pass laws in due time, we will abolish them in the shortest possible time – said the PiS leader. – Those situations where motorways are private or are leased, such accidents also exist, we promise that over the next year we will deal with it – added Kaczyński.
Jarosław Kaczyński on motorway tollsTVN24
Horała: we didn’t promise that from January 1 private motorways will be free
Marcin Horała, deputy minister of funds and regional policy, spoke on Wednesday in “Rozmowie Piaseckiego” on TVN24 about PiS’s promise regarding highways. – The hard announcement is that the two episodes that are state-owned will be free. The thing is clear here. As for the private ones, we will negotiate with them on what terms these agreements can be changed – he said.
“If they’re really stubborn, it’s possible that one of these concessionaires won’t want any change,” he admitted. Then, he added, “we’ll deal with the situation.” – It can happen. We did not promise that from January 1 all private motorways will be free – he announced.
Asked whether the government would agree to pay compensation to owners of private motorways, he replied: “If it’s a reasonable amount.” How unreasonable it is.
Horała about the promise of free highways for passenger carsTVN24
Buda: if there is no willingness to negotiate, we can expropriate
The Minister of Development and Technology, Waldemar Buda, spoke on Tuesday on Radio ZET about the possible abolition of tolls on private motorways. – We have to negotiate with them, we have to agree on what rates, we have to agree on what legal mechanism we will do it – he said. He declared: – Within a year we will deal with it. Next holiday – it will be resolved. Asked if this meant people would drive without motorway gates next summer, he replied: – Yes. To Berlin, to the west of Europe.
According to the minister, this is also to apply to other toll sections to Katowice and Kraków. When asked what will happen if private companies want to keep the contract, he replied: – There is also a formula for expropriation for public purposes.
– If there is no agreement and willingness to negotiate, we can expropriate the entire area and then the court will determine the compensation – he explained.
Main photo source: TVN24