Stefan Kuffa Requests Fully-fledged Environment Minister

Bratislava, 9 November (TASR) - Environment Ministry State Secretary Stefan Kuffa is not surprised by the decision of Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) to return the mandate to manage the Environment Ministry, insisting also that the ministry should be headed by his son, Filip Kuffa, the current First State Secretary at the ministry. Tourism and Sport Minister Rudolf Huliak (Independent) expects that another minister will be appointed to head the ministry, and mentions the name of Culture Minister Martina Simkovicova (a Slovak National Party/SNS nominee). "When you've got the whole government and all the ministries on your hands, being tasked with yet another ministry - whichever one it may be - is very demanding, and I think he's worked that out anyway," said Kuffa regarding the premier's decision, pointing out that the Environment Ministry lacks a fully-fledged minister, describing the current situation as a 'stopgap' that prevents adequate measures from being taken. "So that we can move forward and tackle matters that are urgent," he emphasised. He stands by the SNS's nomination of his son, the first state secretary, as a candidate for the post of minister. "He's a true expert; former minister Tomas Taraba can question him all he likes," he stressed. Huliak expects the premier to also state his position on who will head the ministry. "I expect him to appoint one of the ministers, as he'll be handing over the mandate," he said. In his view, Simkovicova is the logical candidate for the post. "Given that this is a ministry entrusted to SNS, it seems logical to me that it should be Ms Simkovicova, and Mr Kuffa should be appointed as State Secretary in charge of the ministry," he added. The prime minister also announced that on Monday he'd return the mandate to manage the Environment Ministry to the president. The premier is proposing to the president that this ministry should be headed by a nominee from the coalition SNS party. Fico also noted that the dispute between SNS leader Andrej Danko and former environment minister Tomas Taraba won't continue at his expense. am/mcs