Poles like to complain. About everything. However, when it comes to the preparations for Euro 2012, they do have some justification in doing so. Many of the planned road projects have not materialised, and others will only become part of the traffic system as an emergency temporary measure before they have been completed. Despite all this, had it not been for the fact that we are hosting such a tournament, the projects that have seen the light of day would never have gone ahead in the first place
In June the best European players will run out onto football pitches in Poland and Ukraine - the joint hosts of the UEFA Euro 2012 football championships. This is a reason for joy, but at the same time it has presented us with an onerous task. For the Polish economy it does, however, offer an excellent incentive for development. Analysts estimate that Poland is to spend app. PLN 150 bln on all its preparations for the event, which constitutes 15 pct of the country's GDP. No wonder we are pinning our hopes on a substantial return on this investment. The construction, catering and tourist industries will certainly be among those to benefit from the event. Much has already been said about the organisation of Euro 2012 - but mostly in a negative context. Out of all 43 motorway projects planned, 7 have been completed, 10 are at risk, 11 might be finished on time and 15 will not be carried out at all. At the end of February, the government pushed through an emergency measure to provide enough roads for the tournament. A few sections of uncompleted roads connecting key routes between host-cities will be opened for the duration of the tournament. This is the only way to salvage the dismal situation. Pledges to build 3,000 km of modern transport routes have not amounted to much. The debacle with Chinese contractor Covec on the A2 motorway project, bungling on other sections, cancellations of many other projects - none of this encourages any kind of optimism. Nevertheless, it is worth looking at from a different perspective: if it were not for Euro 2012, we would never have seen half of all the things that are being built.
Despite the delays most of the planned roads will actually be built. Impressive stadiums now exist in Warsaw, Wrocław and Gdańsk. And the fact that they were opened later than planned? When you are on one of the stands at the National Stadium, this does not matter a jot. When Euro 2012 is over we will have renovated railway stations (such as those in Warsaw and Poznań), larger airport terminals and a richer hotel base. This is capital that we will have for years and will be generating profits into the future. The advantages of having new roads and stations are obvious. However, grounds for complaint can always be found. The roads will have potholes in them, the stadiums will be too big and not adjusted to Polish realities, and the hotel base will end up being unused. Perhaps instead of whinging we should think of how best to make use of this opportunity. It would be easy to sneer that the only good thing about the event is that the Polish team will be able to play in the tournament. But let's not be cynical. This is not the only positive aspect. Football supporters from all over Europe will come to Poland, giving us the chance to show ourselves in the best light. We can promote our country as a friendly place and - with the help of accompanying events - encourage our foreign visitors to return in the future. Some breweries have promised to build "spectator villages", while bars and restaurants are to remain open all day and night to allow fans to celebrate victory or drown their sorrows in the traditional manner. In this respect we already have an advantage over our Ukrainian neighbours in terms of the perceived attractiveness of our facilities, since most of the countries participating in the tournament have chosen Poland as the location for their bases.
So we have been honoured with co-hosting an event at the European level. I am gearing up for it already. But it is a shame that I will only be able watch it on TV, as - like many others - I have been unable to get my hands on tickets for any of the matches.
