Constitutional Court to Assess Constitutionality of Nature Protection Amendment

Kosice, January 15 (TASR) - The Constitutional Court will assess the constitutionality of the amendment to the Nature and Landscape Protection Act, effective from January 1, 2025, after the court accepted the petition from a group of opposition MPs for further proceedings on Wednesday. The House approved the amendment on November 7. "This amendment is the worst legislative act of this coalition in the environment field," declared MP Tamara Stohlova (Progressive Slovakia/PS) in December. According to her, the legislation weakens nature protection and leads to systemic destruction of the environment. The biggest problem, according to Stohlova, was the fundamental limitation of the public's rights in proceedings under the Nature and Landscape Protection Act. "These proceedings involve decisions on issues such as construction in protected areas, timber harvesting, tree cutting in cities, and the extraction of mineral resources," she explained. The opposition also objected to the process by which the amendment was adopted. The Constitutional Court accepted for further proceedings the proposal from the Administrative Court in Bratislava to assess the constitutionality of provisions in the law concerning the scope and conditions of reimbursement for medicines, medical devices, and dietic foods under public health insurance. lin/mcs