Economy Ministry pulls out of European Uranium Memorandum

The Economy Ministry has withdrawn from a Memorandum of Understanding in the energy sector with European Uranium Resources dating from late 2012, said ministry head Peter Žiga after meeting Košice mayor Richard Raši (both Smer-SD) on Tuesday. "And as I've been against uranium mining near Košice since the beginning, I decided to please the mayor. So, as economy minister I've withdrawn from this memorandum as of today," Žiga told a briefing. According to Žiga, the memorandum was a legally non-binding document that the Economy Ministry had long considered to be irrelevant and unfeasible partly because of fundamental changes in laws in connection with the ban on mining radioactive substances. Raši welcomed the decision. "After the minister and I pushed through a regulation in the previous electoral term that uranium shouldn't be mined without public consent in a referendum, this is an important signal and confirmation for the inhabitants of Košice that we continue in our endeavours to protect the environment and that we're completely against mining," added the Košice mayor.