SaS: Plundering of Slovak Forests Takes Place with Blessing from Gov't (2)

dnes 16:35
Bratislava, 5 August (TASR) – The opposition party Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) once again criticised the situation in the Slovak forests on Tuesday, pointing to serious suspicions of non-transparent management and deliberate environmental destruction. Speaking at a press briefing, SaS chair Branislav Groehling and MP Alojz Hlina (SaS) stated that the government continues to ignore warnings from experts, conservationists, and the public, while instead giving more power to those responsible for forest devastation. SaS is demanding an independent audit of the state enterprise Forests of the Slovak Republic (Lesy SR), full disclosure of all contracts and timber prices, and the dismissal of the company’s management. Groehling announced the party will file a criminal complaint and called on coalition MPs to allow a parliamentary inspection of the state enterprise. „We have been warning about what's happening in the Slovak forests for a long time. People who are watching this understand that well. (Environment Minister) Mr. Tomas Taraba (nominee of Slovak National Party) acts like a victim, but under his leadership, national parks are slowly disappearing. The latest example is a tender in TANAP, the most beautiful and valuable national park, which was announced without being published in the official journal. Everything was set up to bypass regulations. The timber, which was supposed to stay near the forest, bypassed local processors because the winning bidder offered a lower price and thus won,” said Hlina. According to Hlina, the tender appeared environmentally friendly on paper, but a contract amendment shortly after signing allowed the use of a harvester – a heavy machine capable of processing hundreds of cubic metres per day. „They won the contract under the condition of using horses, but immediately deployed machinery that has no place in protected areas. Not only did the trees disappear from the forest, so did common sense,” Hlina noted. He also criticised the government’s rhetoric on large-scale tree planting. „(Agriculture Minister) Mr. Richard Takac (Smer-SD) claims Forests of SR plants trees worth €37 million annually. In reality, it’s at most a quarter of that. It's simply unmanageable. But I bet it will still be invoiced,” he stressed. Hlina added that Slovakia needs its forests not just for timber but primarily for their ecological functions. „It’s not the bark beetle, but Smer-SD, Voice-SD, and the Slovak National Party (SNS) that are the biggest threats to our forests,” he concluded. Groehling added that it is unacceptable for thousands of cubic metres of timber to be exported from protected areas where logging should not occur at all. „Scientists, conservationists, the public are sounding the alarm, yet the state remains silent. Foresters who speak out about illegal practices are being dismissed. This cannot continue,” Groehling said. SaS is also urging coalition MPs to allow a parliamentary inspection of Forests of SR, citing justified concerns over non-transparent handling of public assets and alleged multimillion-euro deals. „On behalf of SaS, I confirm that we are preparing a criminal complaint. Law enforcement authorities have so far ignored all suspicions – likely under political pressure. But we will not give up. Let’s protect our forests – not just from the bark beetle, but above all from political pillaging,” Groehling concluded. mf/mcs
Všetko o agentúre
Spravodajský servis
Mobilné aplikácie
Videá
PR servis OTS
Fotografie
Audioservis
Archív a databázy
Monitoring