(WARSAW) - Greenpeace on Sunday led an appeal urging Poland not to resume work on a key highway bitterly opposed by the European Union and greens as an environmental disaster.

The Via Baltica corridor being built in Poland is a major road link for the Baltic states and meant to smooth the way for increasing trade between eastern and western Europe.

Poland hopes to be allocated 480.97 million euros (663 million dollars) in EU funds.

But its decision to resume work on August 1 on a by-pass road through a virgin forest -- home to a number of rare birds -- appears to break EU environment laws and the European Commission has threatened legal action.

"When joining the EU, Poland had committed itself to respecting the EU's laws," Greenpeace and local environmental organisations said in a joint statement released at a news conference.

To ease traffic near the town of Augustow, Polish transport authorities want to build the 40-kilometre- (25-mile-) long by-pass through the Rospuda valley, near the border with Lithuania and considered by the EU to be "a unique wetland system".

The area around the Rospuda marshlands is the world's most important breeding ground for the endangered aquatic warbler bird, and is home to rare greater spotted eagles, lynx and wolves.

Poland had ceased work on this section of the highway until August 1 as it was the breeding season for some the local birds.

Lithuania backs Poland in its row with the EU. On Friday, Lithuanian Transport Minister Algirdas Butkevicius telephoned EU Vice President Jacques Barrot, asking Brussels not to "punish" Warsaw.

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