THE CABINET approved a proposal to renew the operations of the Environment Ministry as an independent department. It was eliminated as of July 1 based on a proposal of former prime minister Robert Fico approved in January of this year, the SITA newswire reported.
The ministry will resume independent operations as of September 1. Parliament is to debate the proposal by fast-tracked legislative procedure.
Prime Minister Iveta Radičová stated in a report accompanying the proposal that establishing an independent central body of the state administration for the environment is highly important for protection of the environment. Also, it is important in order to handle the negative impacts of extreme flooding, which have caused damage totalling nearly €700 million so far this year alone, SITA wrote.
Greenpeace Slovakia welcomed the initiative to resume the operation of the ministry but also called for broader public and expert discussions of pertinent issues. As quoted by SITA Greenpeace emphasised that the ministry should not continue in the same form that it had when it was eliminated.
