Taraba: Scrapping Ban on Radioactive-waste Imports Wasn't Ministry's Initiative

Bratislava, January 6 (TASR) - The scrapping of the ban on importing radioactive waste into Slovakia wasn't a move made by the Environment Ministry, Environment Minister Tomas Taraba (a Slovak National Party/SNS nominee) has said in an interview for TASR. "It was an MPs' initiative that the Environment Ministry didn't join," noted Taraba. The minister said that there's a rule in place between countries that the amount of radioactive waste that enters the territory of the receiving country must be equal to the radiation that leaves that country. "If the radioactive waste is processed in a way that reduces its volume, but not the level of radiation, then it's a mechanical procedure that doesn't have any impact on the environment. Nothing leaks into the environment," he stated, adding that it mostly concerns burning clothes used in nuclear power plants. According to Taraba, Slovakia invested a huge amount of money in building a facility for processing radioactive waste in the past. "The EIA (environmental impact assessment) permit was issued under [former environment minister Jan] Budaj in 2022. Those criticising this decision are exactly the same ones who permitted and approved it in the past," claimed Taraba. The Nuclear and Decommissioning Company (JAVYS) received revenues from radioactive-waste processing that amounted to millions and went into state coffers, stated the minister. "Those facilities are still here, they just aren't being used at the moment despite having permits, with facilities in other countries being used instead. Slovakia is thus deprived of a huge amount of income regarding an area in which it used to be a big leader," said Taraba. Parliament in November approved a law based on which radioactive waste can be imported into Slovakia again. The change came via an amending proposal to the law on critical infrastructure. The submitters of the law claimed that importing radioactive waste is a standard business activity, "which isn't explicitly prohibited by any international or EU law, provided that strict safety measures are observed". JAVYS is the sole entity that deals with large-scale industrial processing of radioactive waste in Slovakia. It used to burn this kind of waste from Italy, the Czech Republic and Germany. The ban on importing radioactive waste was introduced by the Environment Ministry after an agreement with the Economy Ministry in 2021. ko/df