Member State report / Art8esa / 2018 / Poland
Report type | Member State report to Commission |
MSFD Article | Art. 8.1c Economic and social analysis |
Report due | 2018-10-15 |
Member State | Poland |
Reported by | Chief Inspectorate of Environmental Protection |
Report date | 2020-01-28 |
Report access | ART8_ESA_PL.xml |
Baltic Sea
Marine reporting unit |
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Feature |
Agriculture
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Aquaculture - marine, including infrastructure
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Fish and shellfish harvesting (professional, recreational)
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Fish and shellfish harvesting (professional, recreational)
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Fish and shellfish processing
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Extraction of minerals (rock, metal ores, gravel, sand, shell)
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Extraction of oil and gas, including infrastructure
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Extraction of salt
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Extraction of water
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Renewable energy generation (wind, wave and tidal power), including infrastructure
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Research, survey and educational activities
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Tourism and leisure activities
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Tourism and leisure activities
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Tourism and leisure infrastructure
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All activities related to transport
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Transport infrastructure
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Transport - shipping
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Waste treatment and disposal
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NACE codes |
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Related GES component |
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Description |
The total area of Poland is mainly used for agricultural purposes (51.7%). Agricultural land consists of arable land (75%), permanent pasture (20%), orchards (2%) and other lands (3%). Gross value added to the economy by this sector is on average around 3.5% of Gross domestic product. This sector is a source of livelihood for a large part of the Polish population. The area of agricultural land is 46.5% the total area of the country and is about 14 545.27 thousand ha, and the area of agricultural land maintained in good agricultural culture is approx. 14,398.21 thousand ha. On the other hand, permanent grasslands account for 10% and long-term crops for 1.3% of area of Poland. In Poland, the number of farms in June 2016 was 1,411 million, of which as much as 97% (about 1,407 million) are individual farms. In the total number of farms, 54% are farms operating on the area of 1 to 5 ha of agricultural land. Large farms with an area of 5 to 50 ha of agricultural land - account for 44% of all farms, while the largest, over 50-hectare, constitute only 2%. The scale of use of mineral or natural fertilizers decreased slightly or remained stable.. One of the most important factors determining the nature of plant production is the sow structure. It determines not only the production and economic effects, but also significantly affects the quality status of the water and soil environment. The crop production in Poland is dominated by grains, the area of which currently amounts to approx. 7,512 thousand ha, which constitutes approx. 72% of the total sown area.
The agricultural sector was included in the list only due to the potential pressure of this sector on the Baltic Sea, but these are one-way pressures. As long as no water from the desalination station is used in agriculture, the quality of the Baltic Sea will not affect this sector. It is impossible to set clear geographical boundaries for the occurrence of economic entities and their impact on the state of the sea waters, therefore, the data for agriculture is not available. |
At present, Poland does not have marine aquacultures.
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The national fishing fleet in 2016 consisted of 843 vessels (by 3.8% less than in 2015). In the years 2000-2002, the national fishing fleet was divided into subgroups according to the total length: trawlers - over 30 m to under 40 m; cutters - from 15 m to below 30 m; boats - less than 15 m. This division was used for the record of fishing vessels kept by district inspectors of sea fishing. At present, in accordance with the Act of 19 December 2014 on sea fishing, the fishing fleet is divided into segments by fishing areas, and in practice also the division by length of the total fishing vessel is applied.
The general fishing quotas in the Baltic Sea set for Poland by the EU Council are set out in Council Regulation (EU) 2015/2072 of 17 November 2015 fixing for 2016 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks applicable in the Baltic Sea and amending Regulations (EU) No 1221/2014 and (EU) 2015/104 are subject to catch limits, which Polish fishermen do not fully use. In 2016, 725 special fishing permits were issued to ship owners in Poland authorizing them to fish in the Baltic Sea. Catches of fish and marine invertebrates amounted to 198.9 thousand tonnes in 2016 and were higher by 10.5% compared to the catches achieved in 2011. Baltic catches reached the level of 138.9 thousand tonnes, while the ocean catches, nearly 60,000 tonnes of fish. Sprats dominated in the species structure. Catches of this fish amounted to over 60,000 tonnes, which accounted for 1/3 of the total catch. The second most-favored species was herring, which accounted for 22% of the total catches in 2016.The accounting profit of the activity was 36 PLN million. The Marine Water Accounting Approach was used. Production value is reported as revenues from total activityin 2016. Euro exchange rate 1 EUR = 4,30 PLN. |
Fish are an important component of human food. Their meat contains: 63-78% water, 15-20% protein, 1-30% fat, approx. 0.1% saccharides, selenium, iodine, fluorine and magnesium, B vitamins, and some fish also contain vitamins A and D. Poland has a modern and highly-efficient fish industry. In order to increase its efficiency, fish are imported and then exported in form of prepared products. Fish are processed into consumer products, intended primarily for the domestic market and for export. The main recipients of Polish seafood and fish products are EU countries The fish industry is considered one of the fastest growing branches of the food sector in Poland. Despite the fact that Poland is not a record holder in fishing and fish farming, it is becoming an increasingly important producer of fish products. Polish fish processing industry is one of the best in Europe and has great prospects for development, especially on the absorbing European market. Three species of fish predominate in Polish fish processing industry: herring used for canning, marinades and smoking; sprat and mackerel for smoking and canning. The Marine Water Accounting Approach was used. Production value is reported as revenues from total activity in 2016. Euro exchange rate 1 EUR = 4,30 PLN. |
The deposits of raw material for the production of natural aggregates occur mainly in the waterside and coastal zones, within the banks and shore embankments. These are mainly raw material deposits for the production of gravel aggregates. In the case of deposits of natural aggregates, such as sands and gravels lying at a depth of up to 100 m, exploitation is economically viable, as evidenced by numerous examples of European countries carrying out this kind of mining activity.
In the area of the Baltic Sea, three gravel-sand aggregate deposits with a resources of 147.983 thousand tonnes have been documented on the total area of the fields amounting to 70.8 km2. Baltic amber occurs mainly along the southern shores of the Baltic Sea. Amber heaps in the shallow and coastal belts of the Baltic are of character Pleistocene and Holocene accumulations in post-glacial coastal areas and do not show regularity in distribution, concentration and quality.
It is impossible to set clear geographical boundaries for the occurrence of economic entities and their impact on the state of the sea waters, therefore, the data for this sector is not available. |
Oil production from the Baltic Sea currently accounts for only about 2% of Poland's annual demand. Documented oil deposits on the Baltic shelf account for approx. 20% of national resources. In many areas, crude oil occurs jointly with natural gas. Further growth of natural gas and oil production in POM should be expected. The strategy of LOTOS "Petrobaltic" assumes the allocation of 52% of the Investment Program funds for exploration of crude oil, the majority of which (73%) in the Baltic Sea basin. In September 2015, production from the second deposit - B8 was launched. There is another, the second co-gas transmission pipeline under construction that will connect the oil rig on the B8 field with the heat and power plant Energobaltic Sp. z o.o. in Władysławowo. In 2020, the company's own output will reach the level of 5 million tonnes of oil. There will be new production centers along with security zones, which will be closed for shipping and fishing. It will be connected with land by submarine installations, which will cause restrictions in the use of the bottom resources. On Gaz Południe license, reconnaissance works are at an advanced stage. If the deposit is documented, mining operations may potentially begin within 10 years. The remaining concession areas are at the initial stages of exploration and recognition or preparation for exploration. In these cases, the time horizon of potential mining is 20-30 years. The total area of exploration and appraisal concessions is over 8.5 thousand km2. Considering the potential extraction from the areas on which exploration is currently underway, it is necessary to assume that the functions of laying and maintaining underwater pipelines in these areas will be accepted.
In the Polish Exclusive Economic Zone, 4 good quality natural gas fields (70-95% of methane) were identified. Prospects for the discovery of new gas deposits are estimated at around 100 billion m3. Natural gas occurs alone in the B4 and B6 fields and together with crude oil in the B3 and B8 fields. It is estimated that natural gas resources on the Baltic shelf account for 4% of national resources. Currently, licenses for exploration and production of natural gas from the bottom of the Baltic Sea are held by LOTOS Petrobaltic S.A. and BalticGas Sp. z o.o.
The financial information for this sector is confidential. |
In Poland salt from the Baltic Sea is not extracted |
In Poland water from the Baltic Sea is not extracted |
In POM, in accordance with the Act of March 21, 1991 on the maritime areas of the Republic of Poland and maritime administration, wind farms may be located only in the area of the exclusive economic zone. At present, Poland does not have offshore wind farms. |
In accordance with applicable regulations, scientific units implementing activities for the maritime policy of the Republic of Poland are classified as fallows: 1) scientific institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences - art. 42 of the Act of 30 April 2010 on the Polish Academy of Sciences (Journal of Laws of 2018 item 1475, as amended) - Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences in Sopot; 2) research institutes - art. 1 point 1 of the Act of 30 April 2010 on Research Institutes (Journal of Laws of 2018 item 736, as amended) - Maritime Institute in Gdańsk, Sea Fisheries Institute in Gdynia; 3) other scientific units referred to in art. 2 points 9 lit. f of the Act of 30 April 2010 on the rules for financing science (Journal of Laws of 2018, item 87). The Baltic Sea is both environmental and economic wealth. It requires compliance with the principles of sustainable use and international cooperation, which allows to develop solutions that affect the entire region, are not only of national or local character. In this situation, activities, including research, development and planning projects, as well as investments should be carried out. Taking into consideration the above mentioned conditions, Poland participates in projects related to the Baltic Sea area, implemented mainly under HELCOM or the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. It is also worth pointing out that at the meeting of the Monitoring Committee of the Interreg Baltic Sea Program 2014-2020, which was held in Helsinki in May 2017, 39 regular (in the areas of: innovation, transport and natural resources) and 25 seed money projects were approved, which concern and cover issues related to the Baltic Sea area. The Marine Water Accounting Approach was used. Production value is reported as revenues from total activity in 2016. Euro exchange rate 1 EUR = 4,30 PLN. |
In order to complement the statistics of coastal tourism, we have used estimates of the benefits from recreational visits to the Baltic Sea marine and coastal areas. The study of recreational benefits from trips to the Baltic Sea was based on questionnaires carried out in 2010. Respondents were asked, among others, about the number of recreational trips to the Baltic Sea, which they had in recent months. The statistical number of trips to the Baltic Sea by the average Pole was estimated at 1.1195 per year. It was assumed that year-round recreational trips are related to the quality of the Baltic Sea and that the surplus of the consumer is equal to the cost of travel. Based on the interviews, the cost of travel was estimated, and the travel distance was set at 461.2 km and the travel time was 7.93h. It was also assumed that everyone travels in cars. The valuation of travel costs consisted of the value of time devoted to travel and the so-called kilometers (of the travel cost set by the minister for infrastructure for tax purposes). The cost of the trip was determined as the product of the distance and kilometer rate increased by the value of one person's time. Indicator 71.51 € / person was obtained by dividing the calculated cost by the statistical household size in Poland (2.6 people). This estimated surplus stream seems to be relatively stable over time and fluctuates around 2.5 billion EUR. |
The coastal and marine tourism and leisure sector covers a wide range of sub-sectors including accommodation, food and drinks, and leisure activities such as boating and fishing. In many cases, it if difficult to separate the extent of the coastal and marine tourism from tourism that is not dependent on the marine and coastal environment, as the activities are not limited only to those which take place in the sea, but also includes those at the coast alongside the sea. However, marine tourism and recreation are dependent on the state of the sea, which is not true for all tourist activities taking place along the coast. In our analysis, we describe coastal tourism accommodation, available from statistics. Accommodation base in coastal area is constantly growing. In 2016, 2 427 accommodation facilities with nearly 203,000 beds were available in the Pomeranian, Warmian-Masurian and West Pomeranian Voivodeships. This is an increase of 9% compared to 2013. The number of tourists visiting coastal regions increases year by year. This applies to both domestic and foreign tourists. In 2016, over 4.5 million tourists benefited from tourist accommodation facilities, i.e. 42% more than in 2013. Foreign tourists accounted for 24.2% of tourists using seaside accommodation facilities in 2016. According to the data published in the study by GUS "Maritime economy in Poland in 2015-2016" the largest group of foreign tourists in 2016 came from Germany (612.6 thousand), then from Norway (90 thousand), Sweden (64.7 thousand) and from Great Britain (40.1 thousand). The Marine Water Accounting Approach was used. Production value is reported as revenues from total activity in 2016. Euro exchange rate 1 EUR = 4,30 PLN. |
Due to the lack of Shipbuilding industry in the list of features, shipbuilding sector was assigned to the featue: "all activities related to transport".
The Polish shipbuilding industry is developing very dynamically. It is the second in Europe and the fifth in the world. The shipbuilding industry is potentially one of the most innovative branches of the Polish economy, which is characterized by advanced design knowledge, high standards of Health and safety and environmental protection, as well as modern technology. Polish shipyards, apart from fully equipped units, also build partially equipped ship hulls for European shipyards (mainly Scandinavian, German and Dutch). Shipbuilding also began to specialize in the construction of blocks and sections of hull, which are exported to Germany, Norway, France and the USA. In 2016, the order book for Polish shipyards amounted to 21 fully equipped vessels, and the 12 fully equipped vessels were produced. Poor inflow of new orders to Polish shipyards has recently been the result of the collapse of the offshore market. The order book size shown above in 2016 includes both orders received during 2016 and earlier. According to the ship and shipbuilding database of IHS Sea-Web, Polish shipyards throughout the 2016 have won orders for four small, fully equipped vessels with a total tonnage of approx. 5,400 GT. In 2016, 537 vessels were repaired in Polish shipyards. This is a decrease by more than 16% in relation to the number of repairs made in 2011. The value of units renovated in 2016 amounted to 237.5 million. The order book for repairs for 2016 amounted to 86 vessels, it was more than a two-fold increase compared to 2015, but a three-fold decrease compared to 2011. The yacht sector (production of yachts, equipment, services) in Poland is about 0.15% of the total value of Polish export. For the yacht sector, export account for 90% of its production. Polish yacht shipyards produce more than a dozen thousand vessels each year, both motorboats and sailing boats. The production of other vessels in 2016 amounted to 1,177 open sea, recreational or sporting yachts and 1235 open sea motor or recreational motor boats. This represents an increase of 88% and 200% respectively compared to the production results in 2011.The accounting profit of the activity was 362.6 PLN million. The Marine Water Accounting Approach was used. Production value is reported as revenues from total activity in 2016. Euro exchange rate 1 EUR = 4,30 PLN |
Seaports are an important element of the transport network of cargo and passengers. Ports also fulfill basic socio-economic functions, which include the following: industrial, commercial, transport, tourism and services for the Baltic fisheries. The ports of primary importance for the national economy, according to the Act of 20 December 1996 on ports and marinas, include the largest Polish ports, i.e. Gdańsk, Gdynia, Szczecin and Świnoujście. These ports have the greatest importance in terms of the size of transshipments. Ports playing a smaller role are Kołobrzeg, Darłowo, Elbląg and Police, their significance in terms of participation in transshipments is not large, however, they play an important role in activating the areas on which they are located. On the Polish coast, including lagoons, there are 29 smaller seaports and 49 marinas. They occupy an important place both in local politics, shaped at the level of the commune (as an element of local development potential), and also constitute an element of the country's development potential. In 2016, according to GUS, in Polish seaports 1933,480 thousand people began or ended their foreign international journey. Every year, the number of passengers who finish or start their international journey in Polish seaports is growing. The cargo turnover at seaports slightly decreased in 2001 compared to the previous year (by 0.2%), and then by 2004 gradually increased, showing annual average growth rate of 6.0% and reached in total 56 917.9 thousand tonnes. From 2005 to 2009 there was a systematic decrease in turnover (on average by 4.6% per year), reflecting the global economic crisis and in 2009 the cargo turnover of Polish ports was the lowest in the period 2000-2015. In 2016, the cargo turnover of seaports reached level 72926.2 thous. tonnes and was the highest in the last fifteen years. The accounting profit of the activity was 389 PLN million. The Marine Water Accounting Approach was used. Production value is reported as revenues from total activity in 2016. Euro exchange rate 1 EUR = 4,30 PLN. |
At the end of 2016, the marine and coastal transport fleet consisted of 135 vessels, owned or co-owned by Polish shipowners and operators. A large part of the marine fleet was flying the foreign flag. Data regarding sea transport includes cargo and passenger transport performed on international flights, completed in the reporting year, own ships and leased ships flying the Polish and foreign flags, shipowners or operators of Polish nationality. Data on the sea and coastal transport fleet concern ships with Polish ownership and co-ownership regardless of the flag being lifted. In 2016, approximately 1,933,500 passengers started or finished their journey at Polish seaports, i.e. by 4.4% more than in 2015 and by 22.2% more than in 2011. International passenger traffic in relation to Polish seaports is almost entirely concentrated on European reach. In 2016, passengers arriving or departing from Polish seaports began or ended their travels primarily in Sweden and Germany. Transport of cargo carried out by vessels of the maritime transport fleet amounted to 7248.2 thousand tonnes in 2016 and were higher by 4.1% compared to 2015, but lower by 6.3% compared to 2011. The accounting profit of the activity was 484.9 PLN million. The Marine Water Accounting Approach was used. Production value is reported as revenues from total activity in 2016. Euro exchange rate 1 EUR = 4,30 PLN. |
The municipal sector, through the volume of pollutants discharged into the Baltic Sea, affects its condition and associated ecosystems. In Poland, for many years, the number of people using the water supply and sewage system and sewage treatment has been increasing, and the volume of discharged loads is gradually decreasing. In the light of data from GUS published in the "Municipal infrastructure in 2016" in the period 2005-2016, the length of the sewerage system increased by 92.2%. In 2011, the length of the sewerage system was nearly 118 thousand km, while in 2016, 155,000 km. Sewerage system growth was greater in rural areas than in cities.
Compared with 2015, the length of the sewerage system in rural areas in 2016 increased by over 2.8 thousand km, while in the same period, in cities above1.5 thousand km of sewerage system was build. The above data is of particular importance in the context of achieving environmental targets, and above all for Descriptor D5 eutrophication. In the light of the report of GUS, "Municipal infrastructure in 2016" the percentage of people using the sewerage system in the period 2005-2016 increased from 59.2% to 70.2%. In cities 90% of the population used system, and 40.3% in rural areas. In Poland, in 2016, there were 2,333,000 household sewage treatment plants, of which about 91% were septic tanks. For several years, a systematic decrease in the number of septic tanks has been observed, while the number of household sewage treatment plants is increasing. The number of septic tanks decreased from about 2,359 thousand in 2011 to 2 117 thousand in 2016, while the number of household sewage treatment plants increased from around 103 thousand in 2011 to about 217,000 in 2016, almost 86% of household litter disposal facilities were located in rural areas (about 85% of all septic tanks and about 92% of the total number of household sewage treatment plants).At the beginning of the 21st century, only 11.5% of residents used the sewage system in the countryside, and in 2005, every fifth person had access to the system, and according to the latest GUS data in 2016, as much as 40.3% of the rural population was connected to the sewage system. It is impossible to set clear geographical boundaries for the occurrence of economic entities and their impact on the state of the sea waters, therefore, the data for waste water treatment sector is not available. |
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Employment (direct *1000 FTE) |
3.314 |
21.055 |
0.378 |
4.356 |
1.177 |
32.61 |
10.142 |
12.846 |
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Production value (€ million) |
28.77 |
2850.72 |
40.12 |
52.47 |
2493.95 |
1818.91 |
1541.35 |
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Value added (€ million) |
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Related ecosystem services |
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Cost of degradation: description |
Catch quotas are set annually by an EU Council regulation specifying the catch limit for fish stocks in the Baltic Sea area. These amounts are subject to significant fluctuations year-on-year and there are is no mention on linear extrapolations or the assumption of maintaining any level from a particular year. The basis for determination of quotas is the concept of maximum sustained yield derived from the MSY stock, and in practice there are two further factors: techniques for measuring the size of existing stocks (and more specifically, changing measurement techniques) and political/sector pressure. |
Thematic + Ecosystem services approach
1. An attempt was made to empirically verify the hypothesis assigning a specific value verified by the market to the quality of the Baltic Sea. The attempt consists in finding a connection between the quality of water (measured by the state of bathing site) and the frequency of visits. Because the tourist attendance data is available at the municipal level - it was decided to investigate whether the fact of having a bathing area (where the water quality is controlled) and the good condition of this bathing site affect tourism attendance.
2. Also the estimates of benefits forgone if the Baltic Sea does not reach the good environmental status with regard to eutrophication were made. An international stated preference contingent valuation study (Ahtiainen et al. 2014) elicited citizens’ willingness to pay (WTP) for achieving a good eutrophication status in the Baltic Sea. The study was conducted in each of the nine coastal countries in 2011. The willingness to pay represents the benefits of reaching GES. If the GES is not reached, these benefits are lost, meaning that the benefits can be interpreted as the cost of degradation. The study captured a variety of eutrophication effects, including water clarity, blue-green algal blooms, underwater meadows, fish species composition and oxygen deficiency in the sea bottom. The change in eutrophication was described using all of these effects. |
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Cost of degradation: approach |
Thematic |
Other |
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Cost of degradation: type |
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Cost of degradation: results |
Currently HELCOM has not provide any method for valuation of cost of degradation for the sector. The threat to the Baltic Sea ecosystem is overfishing, which occurs if the amount of catches exceeds the natural reproductive capacity of fish stocks. The development of the fisheries sector depends to a large extent on the condition of fish populations, their development and as a consequence of a healthy ecosystem, not subject to excessive exploitation. The sector should therefore be based on planning based on an ecosystem approach. |
1. The analyses have shown that the fact of determining a bathing site has a statistically significant effect on tourist attendance.
It can therefore be concluded that the designation of a bathing site, along with the completion of all procedures, including water quality control, is important in the selection of a tourist destination.
Tourists attach importance to this fact. More precisely, the fact of determining a bathing area increases the attendance by 4.6% in relation to the value before appointment of the bathing site. For example, with the index of using a tourist base at the level of 20% in a municipality without a bathing site, its designation increases the occupancy rate to the level of 21%.
2. Estimates are calculated by multiplying the mean willingness to pay per person with the adult population in 2016 to express the total cost of degradation. The results indicate that each year, 399,4 milion EUR are lost in citizens’ welfare due to eutrophication |
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Related indicators |