Caputova: Law Enforceability in Area of Environment Needs to Be Improved

Bratislava, January 28 (TASR) - It's very important to significantly improve law enforceability in the field of the environment, President Zuzana Caputova said after accepting resignation of Environment Minister Laszlo Solymos (Most-Hid) on Tuesday. The head of the country also views it as important to expand the possibilities for civic participation in assessing projects with an environmental impact and to improve public participation in the drafting of environmental legislation. Caputova also hopes that every environment minister will ensure that state authorities in charge of environment protection are fully respected "so that they can efficiently carry out tasks stemming to them from the law". She mentioned the State Nature Protection and the Slovak Environmental Inspection Office in this context. According to the president, this is a ministry of vital importance and its weight will grow further in the future. "If it were otherwise, it would have fatal consequences for our lives and the future of the country," added Caputova. According to a report by the European Environment Agency, some 5,400 people prematurely die of air pollution in Slovakia every year. Therefore, it"s important to protect and improve the quality of air and to defend this natural wealth in a more effective manner. "It is high time to rationally resolve questions of jurisdiction between the Environment and Agriculture Ministries so that they don"t serve as a pretext for delaying important decisions," stressed Caputova. After accepting Solymos's resignation on Tuesday, Caputova appointed Transport Minister Arpad Ersek (Most-Hid) as his successor for the rest of the electoral term. ko/mcs/zel