Environment Ministry and Employers Associations Agree on EIA Act Amendment

Bratislava, 29 July (TASR) - The Environment Ministry has reached an agreement with employers associations on a draft amendment to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Act, Vice-premier and Environment Minister Tomas Taraba (a Slovak National Party/SNS nominee) told a news conference held on Tuesday with the associations' representatives in attendance. According to Taraba, the amendment should mainly improve permit procedures and shorten deadlines to a level comparable to those in neighbouring countries. "I am very happy to announce that we've found agreement on absolutely all key points with the biggest employers in Slovakia, with the business sector that employs people," said the minister. Taraba stated that the agreement gives a guarantee that all procedures in Slovakia can be assessed in a standard fashion, "What we guarantee is, for example, that opinions that arrive after the deadline to express them won't be taken into account. This means that the procedure will be predictable. On the other hand, it increases the pressure on employees who fail to comply with the deadlines set by law," he said. "The new methodology that we will introduce when assessing wind parks or solar parks will include a requirement that the Slovak Electricity Transmission System (SEPS) and the Office for the Regulation of Network Industries (URSO) issue a positive position on such parks' connection. And there will also be the requirement for a positive position of municipalities, expressed by approval from municipal councils or referendums," he said. "The proposed wording is a consensus between care for the environment and the possibility of industrial development. We are thankful for a space that was provided to us, as it wasn't given to us as representatives of entrepreneurs in the past. None of the government representatives from the previous government were interested in the prospects for Slovak industry," said Association of Employers' Unions (AZZZ) vice-president Roman Karlubik. ko/mcs