Transport
>
News
>
EU money for Slovak roads must not back EU legal violations warn environment groups
EU money for Slovak roads must not back EU legal violations warn environment groups
(May 6, 2009)
 The sublime landscape in the Vah river valley with its mosaic of meadows, fields and marsh land could soon host a section of the D1 motorway. An officially recommended and environmentally and socially more favourable solution, has been forgotten. |
Breaches of both European regulations and Slovak legislation during the preparation of the D1 motorway construction in central Slovakia have compelled Slovak environment groups to write to the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) urging the public banks not to go ahead with loans for a EUR 570 million public-private partnership section of the motorway. [1]
Friends of the Earth-CEPA – a member of CEE Bankwatch Network – and SOS-BirdLife Slovakia's concerns centre on the “Turany - Hubova” section of the D1 motorway. The current Slovak government intends to complete the D1 motorway link between Bratislava and Kosice by 2010, and environment groups fear that corners are being cut in order to stick to this ambitious timetable.
Following an environmental impact assessment (EIA), a recommendation was delivered in 2002 by the Slovak Ministry of the Environment to route the Turany - Hubova section of the D1 motorway through the Korbelka tunnel in order to bypass protected areas and the village of Sutovo.
However, the National Motorway Company – the state owned and controlled operator of motorways and expressways – is progressing with a routing of this section of the motorway that passes through protected areas and runs adjacent to Sutovo. Moreover, the local building authority that issues land use permits granted permission for the controversial routing without due reference to the recommendations of the EIA, as required by EU requirements on EIA and Slovak national law.
Jan Topercer, an ecological specialist at the Comenius University in Slovakia, commented: “The route of the Turany - Hubova motorway being promoted by the National Motorway Company involves a significant intervention into the NATURA 2000 protected areas network, including the famous Mala Fatra and Velka Fatra National Parks.”
A list of NATURA 2000 areas in Slovakia was declared in 2004 that raised the environmental threshold requirements for new projects as compared to 2002 when the final EIA was submitted. As required by EU law, an additional evaluation of the project's impacts on Natura 2000 sites took place, but the content and process of this subsequent evaluation was deeply flawed, the environment groups maintain.
Roman Havlicek, from Friends of the Earth-CEPA and national coordinator for Bankwatch, said: “On account of these breaches of Slovak and European legislation we call on the European Investment Bank not to finance the first PPP section for the D1 motorway until a new environmental impact assessment of the D1 Turany - Hubova motorway has been carried out in accordance with both the appropriate national legislation and with the Community Law of the European Community. We hope that before it takes any financing decisions the EBRD takes note of how Slovak road developers are playing fast and loose with the environment and the law.”
Last month Friends of the Earth-CEPA and CEE Bankwatch Network drew attention to the problem of the Turany - Hubova D1 motorway section when it was included among 55 examples of environmentally damaging projects in line for financing by the European Union. [2]
Friends of the Earth-CEPA – a member of CEE Bankwatch Network – and SOS-BirdLife Slovakia's concerns centre on the “Turany - Hubova” section of the D1 motorway. The current Slovak government intends to complete the D1 motorway link between Bratislava and Kosice by 2010, and environment groups fear that corners are being cut in order to stick to this ambitious timetable.
Following an environmental impact assessment (EIA), a recommendation was delivered in 2002 by the Slovak Ministry of the Environment to route the Turany - Hubova section of the D1 motorway through the Korbelka tunnel in order to bypass protected areas and the village of Sutovo.
However, the National Motorway Company – the state owned and controlled operator of motorways and expressways – is progressing with a routing of this section of the motorway that passes through protected areas and runs adjacent to Sutovo. Moreover, the local building authority that issues land use permits granted permission for the controversial routing without due reference to the recommendations of the EIA, as required by EU requirements on EIA and Slovak national law.
Jan Topercer, an ecological specialist at the Comenius University in Slovakia, commented: “The route of the Turany - Hubova motorway being promoted by the National Motorway Company involves a significant intervention into the NATURA 2000 protected areas network, including the famous Mala Fatra and Velka Fatra National Parks.”
A list of NATURA 2000 areas in Slovakia was declared in 2004 that raised the environmental threshold requirements for new projects as compared to 2002 when the final EIA was submitted. As required by EU law, an additional evaluation of the project's impacts on Natura 2000 sites took place, but the content and process of this subsequent evaluation was deeply flawed, the environment groups maintain.
Roman Havlicek, from Friends of the Earth-CEPA and national coordinator for Bankwatch, said: “On account of these breaches of Slovak and European legislation we call on the European Investment Bank not to finance the first PPP section for the D1 motorway until a new environmental impact assessment of the D1 Turany - Hubova motorway has been carried out in accordance with both the appropriate national legislation and with the Community Law of the European Community. We hope that before it takes any financing decisions the EBRD takes note of how Slovak road developers are playing fast and loose with the environment and the law.”
Last month Friends of the Earth-CEPA and CEE Bankwatch Network drew attention to the problem of the Turany - Hubova D1 motorway section when it was included among 55 examples of environmentally damaging projects in line for financing by the European Union. [2]
For more information
Roman Havlicek
Friends of the Earth-CEPA/CEE Bankwatch Network
Mobile: +421 908 967633
Email: havlicekATpriateliazeme.sk
Notes for editors:
[1] According to the EIB's website, the project "Slovak Motorways (PPP) D1 Phase I" was approved on December 16, 2008. The Turany - Hubova section is part of this project.
The EBRD has also been approached by the Slovak Ministry of Transport to provide project finance for the D1 but there are no clear outcomes to date.
[2] A map of 55 damaging projects in central and eastern Europe, and including the Turany - Hubova section of the D1 motorway, is available online at the CEE Bankwatch Network website.
CEE Bankwatch Network gratefully acknowledges EU funding support.