The Constitutional Court (CC) of the Slovak Republic will review the constitutionality of the amendment to the Nature and Landscape Protection Act, effective from January 1, 2025. The court accepted the opposition MPs' complaint against the amendment on Wednesday, January 15, for further proceedings in its entirety. However, it rejected their proposal to suspend the effectiveness of the legal norm.
Parliament approved the amendment on November 7. "This amendment is the worst legislative act by this coalition in the area of environmental protection," declared PS MP Tamara Stohlová in December. According to her, the legal changes weaken environmental protection authorities and lead to the "systematic destruction of the environment."
Stohlová highlighted the most significant issue as the substantial restriction of public rights in proceedings under the Nature and Landscape Protection Act. "These proceedings decide on matters such as construction in protected areas, timber harvesting, tree felling in cities, and the extraction of mineral resources," she explained. The opposition also criticized the process by which the amendment was adopted.
On the same day, the CC also accepted for further proceedings a proposal from the Bratislava Administrative Court to review the constitutionality of provisions in the law concerning the scope and conditions for the reimbursement of medicines, medical aids, and dietary foods based on public health insurance.
Source: STVR
