National Urban Wastewater Treatment Program: Assessment of Task Implementation

This paper presents an assessment of the state of advancement of work on tasks encompassed by the National Urban Wastewater Treatment Program that are vital in meeting the transitional goals as defined in the Poland's Treaty of Accession to the European Union in the section relating to Council Directive 91/271/EEC concerning urban wastewater treatment. Reasons behind delays in completing planned projects with respect to deadlines earmarked in the National Urban Wastewater Treatment Program are discussed, as are the consequences of the delays. Environmental effects in the area of biodegradable pollutants as achieved in 2009 in terms of individual voivodeships and the country as a whole have also been calculated.W artykule przedstawiono ocenę zaawansowania zadań ujętych w Krajowym programie oczyszczania ścieków komunalnych, niezbędnych dla spełnienia celów pośrednich określonych w Traktacie Akcesyjnym Polski do Unii Europejskiej w części dotyczącej Dyrektywy Rady 91/271/EWG w sprawie oczyszczania ścieków komunalnych. Omówiono przyczyny opóźnień w realizacji zaplanowanych inwestycji w stosunku do przyjętych w Krajowym programie terminów oraz konsekwencje tych opóźnień. Dokonano również obliczenia efektu ekologicznego w zakresie zanieczyszczeń biodegradowalnych osiągniętego w 2009 r. w odniesieniu do poszczególnych województw oraz całego kraju

European Union Water Policy: Key Issues and Challenges

Water resources are among the most valuable resources of the natural environment. The sustainable and integrated management of these resources is the basis of European water policy. Pursuant to the Water Framework Directive, all waters in the European Union should achieve a state considered at least good by the year 2015. Just how this objective can be met continues to be a topic of discussions in some of the Member States. There exist serious problems and delays in performing and implementing the provisions of the Directive in most EU countries. What is more, the state of the water economy in several countries, including Poland, has been criticized by the European Commission. Many challenges stand before European water policy. They require solutions on a global and local level. This article presents current key problems and planned directions for EU water policy development, subjected to analysis and assessment. Note is taken on the newest initiative of the European Commission in the area of water policy, especially the plan for protecting Europe’s water resources-the Blueprint to Safeguard Europe’s Water Resources.Zasoby wodne należą do najcenniejszych zasobów środowiska naturalnego. Zrównoważona i zintegrowana gospodarka tymi zasobami stanowi podstawę Europejskiej polityki wodnej. Zgodnie z Ramową Dyrektywą Wodną do 2015 roku wszystkie wody w Unii Europejskiej powinny osiągnąć co najmniej dobry stan wód, co jest nadal przedmiotem dyskusji w niektórych państwach członkowskich, w jaki sposób osiągnąć ten cel. Istnieją poważne problemy i opóźnienia w realizacji i wdrażaniu zapisów Dyrektywy w większości krajów członkowskich UE, a w kilku krajach, w tym także i w Polsce, stan gospodarki wodnej został krytycznie oceniony przez Komisję Europejską. Przed Europejską polityką wodną stoi wiele wyzwań, które wymagają rozwiązania na szczeblu globalnym oraz lokalnym. W artykule przedstawiono aktualne kluczowe problemy oraz planowane kierunki rozwoju polityki wodnej UE, poddając je analizie i ocenie. Zwrócono uwagę na najnowsze inicjatywy KE w zakresie polityki wodnej, a w szczególności na plan ochrony zasobów wodnych Europy

Eco-innovations for economic growth and environment protection

The aim of this work is the presentation of current EU issues on eco-innovations in the light of its role for economic growth and natural environment protection. Within the EU economic and environmental climate, eco-innovations can be the key to Europe’s competitiveness in the future. However, in many EU countries, including Poland, the market of eco-innovations is developing too sluggishly and faces a number of obstacles. Moreover, there are many differences between the EU countries in the field of eco-innovations. Although at the European level numerous support tools are currently applied, there is a growing necessity to gear them towards making eco-innovations commonplace on the market. This paper makes an attempt at answering a few questions crucial for finding optimal solutions for the development of an integrated support system for ecological innovations, in particular: what are the potential benefits of the implementation and development of innovations for the economy and natural environment, what are the current eco-innovation support tools and the main issues in their development, and what is the level of eco-innovation in the EU countries including Poland, seen through the available data.Preparation and printing funded by the National Agency for Research and Development under project “Kreator Innowacyjności – wparcie dla Przedsiębiorczości akademickiej

The evidence for the benefits from breast milk in the neurodevelopment of premature babies – a review of the recent literature

Introduction. The brain in preterm babies is usually not fully developed and therefore early post-term events can have long-lasting neurodevelopment and cognitive outcomes. It is known that cerebral white matter connectivity is important for later intact cognitive functioning amongst children born very preterm and that breast milk imparts neurotrophic factors. The relationship between breastfeeding and child development is a long and well-studied area, and the evidence in support of breast milk is already substantial. Here we review the recent literature on the topic to establish whether additional evidence is available to strengthen the view that breast milk is superior in maximizing neurological development in premature infants. Materials and Methods. A search was undertaken of PubMed, limited to the last 10 years and humans. No language restrictions were imposed. Results. The search yielded 45 articles, of which 12 included all three elements of breast milk, neurological/cognitive development and preterm babies; 10 were reviewed. The gestation period and birth weight (either or both were reported) ranged from 23 to 36 weeks and from 580g t

Sea cruises as a new branch of the tourism industry

The article presents sea cruises - a form of tourism which is not very common in Poland but flourishes in other parts of the world. The author describes world and European fleets, cruise routes, ports visited and elements of cruise organization. She presents a detailed illustration of the most powerful European company - the Italian Costa Crociere (Costa Cruises) - which organizes cruises in Europe and all over the world