On Tuesday MPs approved the constitutional amendment aimed at bolstering the protection of Slovak water resources, with the particular goal of banning exports.
As of December, Article 4 of the Slovak Constitution will include the following statement: “The transport of water collected from water resources on Slovakia's territory across Slovak borders by any means of transport or by pipelines is prohibited”. The provision further stipulates that the ban doesn't apply to water used for a person's own consumption, drinking water and mineral water bottled in Slovakia and water sent abroad as humanitarian aid. The proposal was launched by the governing Smer-SD party in July in the wake of fierce criticism from the Opposition and wider public of the Act on Slovak Water drafted by the Environment Ministry. It faced criticism that it is part of a plan to privatise water resources.
