Environment Min: Court Upholds Lawful Procedure in Relation to Malinec HPP (2)

Bratislava, 7 September (TASR) - The Administrative Court in Bratislava has confirmed that the Environment Ministry acted in accordance with the law in all preparatory work relating to the Malinec-Latky pumped-storage hydro-power plant (HPP), TASR was told by the ministry's press office on Monday. The ministry stated that the court had also dismissed the administrative appeal lodged by non-governmental organisations. It also rejected the application for suspensive effect, thereby following on from the July ruling of the Constitutional Court, which stated that the actions of the state and the investor to date had been fully in accordance with the Slovak Constitution and applicable legislation. In its ruling, the court states that state-run water-management construction company Vodohospodarska vystavba didn't deviate from the legal framework, including the law on significant investments and the Geological Act. "Similarly, the administrative court deemed the alleged infringements of property rights claimed by activists to be unfounded," noted the Environment Ministry. Environment Minister Tomas Taraba (an SNS nominee) welcomed the ruling. "I am very pleased that the Environment Ministry has won another court case, this time at the Administrative Court in Bratislava. This is already the second victory following the Constitutional Court's ruling, in which the non-governmental organisations, also represented by expert Kica, lost the court case concerning the Malinec pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant," the minister said in a video posted on social media. Michal Kica, legal representative of the claimant and vice-chair of the Democrats party, said Taraba's statements about the ruling concerning the government's resolution were misleading. "It is not true that the Administrative Court confirmed the legality of the resolution on the significant investment. The Administrative Court did not address the substance of the government's resolution at all. In the court's view, it does not have jurisdiction to review government resolutions, which is a fundamental difference. Put simply, it did not rule in favour of anyone on the merits of the case," Kica underlined. The government has decided to grant 'significant investment' status to the project of the Malinec-Latky pumped-storage hydro-power plant. Environment Minister Tomas Taraba has previously stated that the planned Malinec hydro-power plant represents the greatest environmental and economic opportunity for central Slovakia, emphasising that Malinec must remain a source of drinking water. The construction of the Malinec hydro-power plant has met with support from local authorities, but also with public concerns. In connection with the project's preparation, activists have called for the revocation of the certificate issued by the Environment Ministry regarding the significant investment. NOTE: This story has been extended to include paragraphs 4-5 mf/am/mcs