'Slovakia': Prosecutor's Office Should Examine Building Permit for Battery Plant

Bratislava/Surany, 20 August (TASR) - The opposition 'Slovakia' party has lodged a criminal complaint with the Prosecutor-General's Office concerning the building permit for a battery plant in Surany (Nitra region), the party's MPs Rastislav Kratky a Julius Jakab told a press conference on Wednesday, adding that the battery plant shouldn't have received a permit without an environmental impact assessment (EIA). They said that an EIA has been granted only to the industrial park, not to the investor building the battery plant. "The battery plant and the investor that wants to build it have invoked an EIA that is not theirs, and, based on that, they were granted the building permit," said Kratky, adding that he expects the Prosecutor-General's Office to investigate the entire situation and revoke the building permit decision. According to Kratky, the construction of the battery factory will have a negative impact on the health of Surany residents. Jakab also pointed to a statement by Environment Minister Tomas Taraba (a Slovak National Party/SNS nominee), who announced on Tuesday (19 August) that the ministry hadn't issued any decision within the EIA process for the battery plant investment. Commenting on Tuesday's statement by Gotion, a Chinese investor in the project, according to which the building permit was granted for a test run, Kratky noted there was no mention of any test run, as a full-fledged factory is to be built. The decision to issue a building permit is also seen as an incorrect and premature step by opposition Christian Democrats (KDH). Until the EIA is completed and its results published, there's a need to suspend the implementation of the project, said KDH, adding that the construction of the plant is a step that, once completed, cannot be reversed. "If the environmental or health risks for local people are confirmed, the damage will be permanent and irreversible," added KDH MP Marian Caucik. jrg/df