PS: EC Sees Issues with Zoning of National Parks, Calls for Rectification

Bratislava, 7 August (TASR) - The European Commission (EC) considers the zoning of national parks approved by the government via its resolutions in early July to be a problem, and it's strongly calling for the situation to be remedied, opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) MP and vice-chair of the House committee for agriculture and the environment Tamara Stohlova told a press conference on Friday. She added that she has EC's reply at her disposal and that it confirms the statements made by Environment Ministry State Secretary Filip Kuffa. "The resolutions, as adopted, go against a previously approved milestone under the Recovery Plan, specifically against the entire reform of national parks," she stated, adding that the point of the reform was "to finally resolve the long-standing conflict that existed over the territories of national parks". According to Stohlova, this conflict involves two ministries: the Environment Ministry, which is supposed to manage protected areas, and the Agriculture Ministry, which carried out forestry, forest management and logging activities on the territories of national parks. She added that the reform was supposed to be designed in a way that would exclude agriculture from the process. "But this didn't happen, as the possibility of managing these areas still exists for state-run forestry company Lesy SR, which falls under the Agriculture Ministry," said Stohlova, noting that the EC wants to see the situation rectified either by the resolutions being revoked or the problematic provisions removed. Stohlova also called on Environment Minister Tomas Taraba (a Slovak National Party/SNS nominee) to immediately revoke the resolutions by which the zoning of national parka was approved, adding that the situation cannot be resolved by both ministries signing a memorandum. The government in early July approved the zoning plans for four national parks - the Tatra, Low Tatras, Poloniny and Mala Fatra National Parks. The approval of the documents forms part of a milestone under Slovakia's Recovery and Resilience Plan. Kuffa said that the approved zoning plans undermine the reform of national parks. He claimed that although the territories should formally be transferred under the administration of the national parks, they will in practice remain under the control of the state-run company, which the EC had flagged from the outset as a potential issue affecting the payment linked to national park reform. Kuffa on Wednesday (5 August) announced that the EC has backed his position regarding the government's comments on the zoning of national parks, meaning that €450 million from the Recovery Plan remains at risk. Taraba has rejected these claims, reiterating that the zoning plans were prepared "in an exemplary manner, eliminating thousands of exemptions and reducing room for corruption". According to Taraba, working communication with the EC is taking place on a daily basis. A memorandum of cooperation, which sets out the conditions for the transfer of land ownership to national parks, including their management, was signed on Thursday (6 August) by Taraba and Agriculture Minister Richard Takac (Smer-SD). It is intended to address the EC's questions. jrg/df