Slovak and Austrian Presidents meet and discuss climate change

Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová met Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen for informal talks held in the town of Pezinok (Bratislava region) on Wednesday. It was also the first visit by a foreign head of state to Slovakia since the borders were reopened. Among the topics the presidents discussed were the novel coronavirus outbreak and its consequences as well as environmental protection, a joint Austrian-Slovak priority. Although a vaccine against COVID-19 will probably be created in the future, no such panacea can be expected in the case of climate change, the Austrian President pointed out. In this context, he stressed the importance of cooperation within Europe, not only in health policy but also economic recovery and environmental protection.