Bratislava, February 3 (TASR) – Slovakia will mount a thorough legal defence against the complaint of a Polish firm over the fact that since 2014 the Slovak Constitution has banned water exports abroad other than in consumer packaging and for humanitarian ends, Environment Minister Peter Ziga said after Cabinet on Wednesday.
RTVS reported that the European Commission has initiated legal proceedings against the Slovak Republic in this respect over creating obstacles to the free movement of goods. “It’s a standard process that the Commission starts against any country concerning infringment. We will defend ourselves with all means,” said Ziga, adding that he’s not concerned about potential fines.
The minister pointed out that the Polish company behind the lawsuit wanted to draw water from Slovakia to its homeland via a pipeline and subsequently package it in plastic bottles.
“We don’t stand in their way. They can do the same thing on the Slovak side: create wealth, pay taxes and employ people. In this we would even support it,” said Ziga. “But to have someone make a drill on Slovak soil, export water through the pipeline abroad and there do with it whatever they please, that’s not happening.”
Ziga believes that in the future other European countries will adopt similar legislation. “It’ll be a serious problem not only in Europe but across the world. Since we have some reserves and they’re not evenly stretched out in Slovakia, we need to protect them for future generations,” said Ziga.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.