President Vetoes Environmental Impact Assessment Act

Bratislava, October 4 (TASR) - President Peter Pellegrini on Thursday (October 3) vetoed the Environmental Impact Assessment Act and recommended that Parliament should take two items out of the legislation and then approve it, the President's Office reported on its website. "The amendment ... has narrowed the definition of an 'affected village' solely to the village, on the land on which the proposed activity or its change is to be carried out," explained the president. In his view, such a definition precludes taking into account the objections of nearby villages, which might be directly and significantly impacted by the given project as well. Pellegrini opined that environmental impact assessments are paramount particularly for construction work of strategic importance or infrastructure projects. "Reductions in the rights of towns and villages must be rare and in accordance with international commitments, by which Parliament itself is bound as well," added the head of state. The Environment Ministry submitted the new legislation to Parliament with an eye towards speeding up assessments and issuing permits in the field of environmental protection. According to the ministry, the new changes would limit the power of environmental bureaucrats to cause unnecessary delays to construction work. Parliament greenlighted the bill in September. mf/df