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Access to environmental information in the Slovak Republic * * * * * * * * *
Access to environmental information
in the Slovak Republic * * * * * * * * *
Structure of the presentation
• Legal framework (T. Tökölyová)
• The Slovak Ministry of Environment (P. Horváthová)
• Public participation in decisions on specific activities (P. Horváthová)
• Examples of using Environmental and Legal Regulations Portals (P. Horváthová/T. Tökölyová)
Legal framework for access to information
The Slovak Republic fully realised the nature and importance of the right to information as a basic human right and thus it guarantees the right also in the Constitution of the Slovak Republic (Constitutional Act No. 460/1992 Coll. Constitution of the Slovak Republic):
• Article 26 paragraph 1: Freedom of speech and right to information are guaranteed. • Article 44: Everyone is obliged to protect and enhance the environment and the cultural
heritage.
Act No. 211/2000 Coll. on free Access to information and on amendments and supplements to certain act
(Freedom of Information Act): • Everybody shall have the right of access to information that the obliges
have available • Any oblige shall disclose information, tasks or professional service
concerning the environment • Access to information shall be provided without any need to prove legal
or other reason or interest for which information is required • A mass access to information shall mean access of unlimited number of
applicants by means of telecommunication, especially through the internet • Limitations of the access to information (protection of classified facts,
protection of person and personal data, protection of trade secret, etc.) • Disclosure of information upon request via telephone, fax, e-mail, orally or
in writing form ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Act No. 205/2004 Coll. on collecting and disseminating environmental
information and on amendment and supplementation of certain acts These mentioned regulations are fulfilled by The Ministry of Environment
of the Slovak Republic and their organization.
Organizations Instituted by The Slovak Ministry of Environment
There are 12 organizations operated under the ministry: • Slovak Inspectorate of the Environment • Slovak Environment Agency • Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute • Water Research Institute • State Geological Institute of Dionýz Štúr • ZOO Bojnice • The Slovak Museum of Nature Protection and Speleology • State Nature Conservancy of the Slovak Republic • Environment Fund • Slovak Mining Museum • Water Management Company, State Enterprise • The Slovak Water Management Enterprise, state enterprise
Information systems
33 publicly accessible IS run by The Slovak Ministry of Environment and its organizations
For example: • Map server of SGÚDŠ (geology) • IS Bathing Waters (water) • Slovak National Emission Information System (air) • Catalogue of protected trees (nature conservation) • IS of management of waste from extractive industries • Register of waste recovery facilities (waste) • IS Environmental Impact Assessment • IS Environmental damages • IS Integrated pollution prevention and control • IS Major Industrial Accidents Prevention • Register of IPPC installations and integrated permits
Public participation in decisions on specific activities
Environmental impact assessment • Public participation in the assessment process is one of the important
principles • Public information is ensured through internet, media and by affected
municipalities • Public can submit their written viewpoint on the proposed activity within
period of the preliminary environmental study and the environmental impact statement publishing and, subsequently, within the public hearing of the environmental impact statement, when the issue discussed is recorded in the record of the public hearing
• Opinions of the public must be included and evaluated in the expert review and in the final record of the complement authority
• The documentation from the assessment process is published in electronic form at the internet page www.enviroportal.sk/en/eia within an integrated information system and
• Fully available to the public • English version
Access to information about environment
Enviroportal • Basic platform for publishing outputs of information systems • Provides authorized and verified information on the environment in
Slovakia and abroad, serves to users for a uniform access to information in environmental field
• Actual Legal regulations of the Slovak Republic and European Union • Information systems (most of the IS are accessible from this page) • Environmental data, metada • Educational materials etc. • Information divided:
– by a type of a subject (citizen, businesses and public administration),
– by a topic (water, waste environmental impact assessemt)
• Fully available to the public (http://enviroportal.sk/en/about-enviroportal)
EnviroInfo • Internet based database metadata system • Allows users to create, update and edit metadata about documents,
databases, maps, raster and vector spatial datasets and about any other kind of information
• Creates one of the key elements for establishment of environmental spatial data infrastructure according INSPIRE initiative
• Provides linkage to national and international level • Harmonization and standardization issues have been taken in account and
as an initial effort an ISO 19115 profile has been implemented • Available to the public
EnviroGeoPortal • Portal with spatial topic in resort of Ministry of Environment of the Slovak
Republic • Publication of INSPIRE obligations – monitoring and reporting, metadata,
discovery services, view services • Application: metadata catalog • Applications: map viewers • Other environmental applications • Interoperable network services • Interoperable data • Open source applications • Open standards (OGC etc.) • Available to the public
Legal Regulations Portal https://lt.justice.gov.sk/Default.aspx
• The Slovak Republic during the preparation of executive regulations and other generally applicable legally binding rules that may have a significant effect on the environment guarantees effective public participation.
• All draft legal regulations pursuant to the Slovak Republic Government Legislative Rules are published to public for comments through the Legal Regulations Portal (abbreviation in Slovak “PPP”).
• The Legal Regulations Portal is an internet-based portal and is a part of the Uniform Information System to monitor the legislative process administered and operated by the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic.
• This uniform information system is intended to unify the legislative process in the Slovak Republic and provide simpler orientation and searching in legislative materials.
• The PPP information system to which the state administration central bodies, as well as public have direct access enables direct entering of comments on the draft acts (bills).
• Through PPP it is possible to publish all draft legal regulations including information on the process of submitting comments and its evaluation.
• Pursuant to article 14 paragraph 6 of the Slovak Republic Government Legislative Rules, the public can submit the so-called block (mass) comment on a draft legal regulation.
• The ministries are obliged to hold the so-called dispute (repugnance) proceedings on such a comment to which at least 500 natural or legal persons have agreed.
• Public may submit its comments also e.g. when a new protected area is declared or an existing one is revoked pursuant to article 50 paragraphs 1 to 4 of the Act No. 543/2002 Coll. on nature and landscape protection as amended posterior (Protected areas and their protection zones shall be declared by a generally binding legal regulation – a regulation of a district environment office or the Ministry of Environment, or by a Slovak Republic Government resolution according to the protected area category.).
Thank you for your attention
For more information please contact:
Tatiana Tökölyová
Slovak National Focal Point to the Aarhus Convention
Ministry of Environmnet
of the Slovak Republic
Petra Horváthová
Departmental Centre
of Environmental Data and Information Services
Slovak Environment Agency
