ARTIFICIAL INVESTMENTS
MIROSŁAW PIOTROWSKI
There is a lack of grants for geometry in Toruń, although water flowing out of there has got temperature of over 60°C.
‘Manager! There is a lake! Oh, well, no, no, no, not good! So, we will plan a lake here…and let this one be in green’. This is how cooperative centres in a famous film by Stanisław Bareia ‘A wanted man or woman’ were planned by ‘Mr.’ Marysia, who was a manager. The comedy was made 43 years ago and referred to planning and investment competences of centrally-steered economy officials.
We know how it finally ended. At present we live in a different reality but we are being overwhelmed again by the EU centralism. The central headquarter knows better. And if it has got the headquarter in Brussels and shares EU funds, there is nothing to discuss. Decisions of the European Commission – its directors and commissioners’ – are right and reasonable. Can this belief be disturbed by single doubtful cases? Let’s take airports, stadiums, railway stations or aquaparks built from EU funds. In Spain, near Valence, an airport was opened four years ago, on which 150 million euro was spent and which has not served many passengers and on which no airplane has landed. Others, much more expensive, were closed soon after being built, because nobody wanted to purchase them even for a few percent of their value. In Greece a dozen sport centres were built which are going into bankruptcy today because of the lack of funds and sportsmen of this country have their trainings on Cyprus. And there is no need to find examples further. In our country, in Lublin, because of EU commitments, a modern sugar plant was pulled down and replaced by a football stadium with EU funds. The funny thing is that in this beautiful city there has already been two stadiums but there is no good football team. In fact, the best one plays in the fourth league. Not long time ago did it turn out that it could probably be necessary to give back EU grants, because a smaller number of people come to the stadium, than it was said in an application for grants. We can only mention baths in LIdzbark Warmiński among more interesting ‘EU’ investments. Which… will have to be warmed up because their water has got temperature of only about 21° C. what is peculiar, is the lack of grants for a geothermal in Toruń, although water flowing out of there has got temperature of over 60°C. instead, EU funds appeared for renovation of a railway station in PLudry (in Opole district), at which no trains stop and there are not any passengers. Well, a new thing is appearing. How many old things are we still going to face? Let’s allow the main characters of the mentioned film say: ‘And did Marysia read this article? – Oh, this rubbish. Yes. A fellow wants to pull down 19th-centuriy buildings in order to build stalls with beer. – Marysia, not stalls with beer but shopping centres. A new thing is appearing and we are pulling down old things’. How much had to be changed so that everything would remain as they are?
AA
„Niedziela” 31/2015