'Slovakia' Party: Construction Permit for Battery Plant Should Be Invalid

Bratislava, 19 August (TASR) - The construction permit for a battery plant in Surany (Nitra region) should be invalid, as the plant fails to meet the limits set by law and the project lacks a description of the technologies by which these limits should be met, representatives of the opposition 'Slovakia' party told a news conference on Tuesday, adding that the party is filing a criminal complaint in this connection. "They completely circumvented the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Act. This will have fatal consequences for people's lives and health. It's not just about the environment, we're talking about the health of local people again. They circumvented the legal procedures and obtained a construction permit - an absolutely ridiculous decision," stated the party's MP Rastislav Kratky. According to him, the entire construction permit should be made invalid partly because new facts concerning the EIA itself have appeared. The opposition MP criticised the actions of the District Office in Nove Zamky (Nitra region), which issued the decision. According to Kratky, the office acted without having the necessary information, and the documents based on which it would have been able to issue the decision correctly weren't available to it. Julius Jakab of the 'Slovakia' party also called the procedures illegal. He stated that the party doesn't oppose investments in Slovakia, but the current government isn't acting in line with the law. ko/df