SaS: Environment Ministry Indifferent to Environmental Burdens
Bratislava, August 30 (TASR) – The current management at the Environment Ministry is indifferent towards environmental burdens in the country, stated the Opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party at a press conference on Thursday, pointing to ignored landfill sites in Sered (Trnava region), Povazsky Chlmec (Zilina region) and Posa (Presov region).
SaS MP Anna Zemanova at the press conference called on Environment Minister Laszlo Solymos (Most-Hid) to publish the list of sites that will need to be decontaminated in the near future.
The Opposition MP also pointed to a ruling by the EU’s Court of Justice in the case of the Povazsky Chlmec landfill site. According to the ruling, Slovakia has to pay a one-off fine of €1 million for not complying with the EU law on waste landfills and another €5,000 per day until the country issues a decision for scrapping the landfill in Povazsky Chlmec. “Today the fines have amounted to €285,000 and nothing has been done yet,” she said.
According to SaS, the current Government isn’t addressing the environmental issues effectively, as can be seen in the cases of landfills in Sered, Posa and Kralovsky Chlmec.
SaS MP Eugen Jurzyca pointed out that two thirds of the Environment Ministry’s current budget are made of EU funds and the money should thus be spent on the most pressing environmental issues, including the landfills.