Democrats: EC Has Confirmed That Zoning Proposals Violate European Legislation

Vysoke Tatry, 11 May (TASR) - According to the extra-parliamentary Democrats party, the European Commission (EC) has confirmed that the proposed zoning plans for national parks (NP) violate European legislation and jeopardise funding from the recovery plan, TASR learnt from the party's environmental expert Michal Kica on Monday. In its response to the party's submissions, the EC confirmed that the formation of hundreds of hectares of new development areas for industrial tourism, especially in the Tatra National Park and the Low Tatras National Park, is not in compliance with European legislation. At the same time, it jeopardises the successful evaluation of a €453-million recovery plan milestone. The party is therefore calling on the government, and in particular Education Minister Tomas Drucker (Voice-SD), who is now responsible for the recovery plan, to take immediate corrective action and not to gamble with hundreds of millions of euros. In a joint letter dated 7 May, the EC's divisions for the recovery plan and the directorate-general for the environment agreed with the party's arguments regarding non-compliance with directives on strategic environmental assessments and on biotopes in connection with "Environment Minister Tomas Taraba's (an SNS nominee) zoning", said Kica. According to Democrats, these zoning plans sought to create space for the future approval of hundreds of hectares of new cable-car lifts, hotels, ski slopes and similar infrastructure directly within national parks, which, without a proper environmental impact assessment, would pose a huge risk to the Tatra's natural environment. According to the party, it's repeatedly pointed this out for nearly a year, but the ministry has ignored everything. "The EC has now unequivocally stated that such a process is, however, absolutely required. We're pleased that the Commission has upheld our arguments," said Kica, noting that neither the leadership of the Environment Ministry nor Minister Drucker has spoken about this serious problem. According to him, it's obvious from the EC's letter that it's also conducting intensive negotiations with Slovak authorities regarding this matter. am/df