Summary:

The article discusses development of rural technical infrastructure elements with particular regard to water supply infrastructure and sanitation. Addressed were the issues of financing this type of investments and the limit of financial means from the European Union funds utilization for these purposes. Financial means provided by the European Union have been utilized to various degree for financing investments in rural water supply and sanitation infrastructure in various provinces. In 2005 the community means constituted in Poland 20.7% of the total expenditure on financing this type of investments. The greatest share was registered in the świętokrzyskie (37.6%), lubuskie (36.5%) and warmińsko-mazurskie (35.5%) provinces, whereas the lowest in the mazowieckie and opolskie provinces (10% in each) and in the pomorskie (11.1%). Considering rural water supply systems in 2005, podlaskie province proved the most active, lubuskie province invested most in the collective sewer systems, whereas the podkarpackie province in collective sewage treatment plants. The share of the European Union funds in the expenditure on household sewage treatment plants and municipal landfill sites remains on a marginal level. The European Union Programmes aiming at supporting technical infrastructure development in rural areas, to a great extent responded to these areas needs concerning investment outlays on water supply systems and sanitation. They obviously contributed to the improvement of infrastructure state in the discussed areas (on average every fifth zloty spent in 2005 on this type of investment originated from the community funds) and therefore they positively affected the conditions of economic development of these areas.