Vistula Spit canal project will be good for Polish sovereignty says PM

The prime minister has said a new canal that will cut across the Vistula Split, which separates the Baltic from the Vistula Lagoon, will strengthen Poland’s sovereignty.

Mateusz Morawiecki, along with President Andrzej Duda, inspected the construction of the new waterway on Thursday.

Once completed, it will allow Polish ships from the port of Elbląg to reach the Baltic without having to pass through Russian waters.

Morawiecki said the canal project was a sign of "political realism," stressing that it would free Polish maritime traffic from Russian interference.

"The Vistula Spit canal is an expression of our political reality," he said. "It will strengthen our sovereignty. It's also about pride, as now we won't have to have to ask our eastern neighbour for permission to enter our own territorial waters."

President Duda, holding a press briefing with Morawiecki, said that the canal project would stimulate national economic growth, and help boost tourism in the region.

"We hope that investments like this one will not only revive tourism, but, most importantly, will strengthen it considerably in the future," said the president.

"Most of all, however, (we hope that - PAP) major investment projects will be a strong growth impulse for the Republic, and, in effect, will translate into our country's modernisation, better living standards and higher wages, all that we desire so much, namely the achievement of living standards comparable to those in the wealthiest western European countries," Duda said.