/116215/C/SV/PHA
Training Report
Capacity Building in
Implementation of the
Environmental Acquis at
the Local and Regional
Level
This Project is Funded by
the EU
Country:
Issue:
Location:
Date:
Slovakia
Common Issues EIA&IPPC Workshop
Bratislava
3.- 4.5. 2005
Starting at:
8:30
Ending at: 16:30
Day 1, May 3, 2005
1. Participants present
According to List of participants attached.
Trainees from regions present:
Region/Institution
Bratislava/ Regional SEI
Bratislava/District office and City Hall
Banska Bystrica/Regional SEI
Banska Bystrica/ District office and Town Hall
Zilina/ Regional SEI
Zilina/ District office and Town Hall
Kosice/ Regional SEI
Kosice/ District office and Town Hall
Number of participants
2
6
2
2
0
7
2
6
2. Trainers present
Project team:
International trainer: Edy Blom, Ole Lauridsen
Core Team- legal expert: Norman Sheridan
Country manager : Sona Antalova
Local trainers: Sona Antalova, Vladimir Galbavy, Stanislav Kosina
Assistant of CM: Martin Mocik
CMDC
Joint
Venture:
1
3. Stakeholders and other persons present
Natura 2000 expert from State conservation of Nature Banska Bystrica
Construction law expert Jaroslava Hapcova
Interpreter Viera Simkovicova
4. Program
The programme of the workshop is attached.
Presentations focused on the permitting process as a whole – starting with EIA, continuing with
territorial decision and ending with an integrated permit.
The implementation of “Building Act” and conditions for territorial decision between EIA and
IPPC procedure was presented by expert from local level.
In the presentation on NATURA 2000 expert from State conservation of nature from Banska
Bystrica explained the principles of Natura 2000 in Slovakia and the relation EIA and territorial
decision was shown and discussed.
The procedure of EIA and IPPC in Slovakia was presented in parallel, differences and
similarities were identified in order to help participants to discuss options for improvement or
simplifying of permitting process.
The presentations of international trainers and legal expert showed the situation in other EU
countries.
Discussion in working groups was focused on identification of common EIA and IPPC problems
in these acts implementation and proposals of their solutions.
5. Trainer’s comments to the training session
Participants focused the discussion on the link between EIA, territorial decision, building permit
and integrated environmental permit. They were looking for ways how to make the process
simpler and shorter. This issue is considered to be the most important from the point of view of
all stakeholders – CAs, operators and investors.
Participants were very active in the discussion and also three groups who discussed the problems
and looked for recommendations for changes were very active and they presented interesting
findings which will be the part of final recommendations.
At the end of first day the participants wrote the final tests and were awarded certificates.
.
6. Participants’ immediate response to the training
Participants have shown an immense effort to look for options how to make the permitting
process more efficient and shorter. They discussed the problems from different points of view as
they play different roles in the process but they have followed the common goal. The questions
to all presentations and active discussion showed the real interest in the workshops and topics of
programme.
7. Questions raised at the work shop and not solved, other issues addressed
that need follow up
The main question which has to be cleared is the final version of the amended Slovak IPPC Act
(245/2003/Zz.) and new EIA Act.
The amended version of the proposal is currently in the legislation department of the Slovak
Government. The question will be raised to the Slovak Ministry of Environment during the
second day of the final workshop.
CMDC
Joint
Venture:
2
Day 2, May 4, 2005
1. Participants present
According to List of participants attached.
Stakeholders were represented as follows:
Level/Institutions
Central governmental level
Ministry of Environment
Ministry of Economy
SARIO Agency
Slovak Environmental Inspectorate - Headquarter
Regional governmental level
Regional Office of Environment
Regional Environmental Inspectorate
Local governmental level
District Office of Environment
Self-government
Magistrate of Bratislava
Town Hall Zilina
Industry/developers
Volkswagen Slovakia
Chemical Factory Nováky
Istrochem
Expert organisations
University of natural sciences
Slovak Environmental Agency
NGOs
Obcan a demokracia/Citizen and Democracy
Number of participants
6
3
1
1
1
6
3
3
3
3
2
1
1
4
1
1
2
4
1
3
1
1
2. Trainers present
Project team:
International trainer: Edy Blom, Ole Lauridsen
Core Team- legal expert: Norman Sheridan
Country manager : Sona Antalova
Local trainers: Katarina Pavlickova, Sona Antalova, Vladimir Galbavy, Stanislav Kosina
Assistant of CM: Martin Mocik
3. Stakeholders and other persons present
According to list of participants
4. Training Program
The programme of the workshop is attached.
Presentations were focused on presenting the findings and proposals from EIA and IPPC
stakeholders workshop as well as to outputs from regional and local levels represented by the
CMDC
Joint
Venture:
3
trainees. The international trainers presented the examples of these Directives implementation in
their countries on requests.
5. Trainer’s comments to the training session
The discussion was directed in addition to the presented findings also to the implementation of
the Aarhus convention (the role of public in EIA and IPPC) and options to shorten the whole
permitting process.
The international experts were asked to explain how the Aarhus convention is implemented in
their countries – Netherlands, Denmark and Great Britain as well as how the process of EIA and
IPPC is handled and how to ensure the parallel process for both permits.
The participants were very active in the discussion and also in two working groups. The
recommendations for changes and dissemination strategy will be the part of final
recommendations.
The representatives from the Slovak Ministry of Environment informed about the state of the
IPPC Act which goes to final discussions to the Slovak Government (IPPC official) and about
EIA legislation amendment.
The representatives from EIA Department expressed their concern about missing interpretation
of the definition “public concerned”.
6. Participants’ immediate response to the training
Participants have expressed an immense effort to look for ways how to make the permitting
process more efficient and shorter. They discussed the problems from different points of view as
they play different roles in the process but they have followed the common goal.
The representatives of Industry expressed the satisfaction with the programme of workshop as
well as with the examples given from other countries as the inspiration to think about the
changes in Slovakia. Workshops were identified as the efficient way of dissemination of the
relevant outputs of this project and in general dissemination of knowledge and know-how in the
field of EIA and IPPC.
The representatives of NGO considered the workshop as very interesting and inspiring.
7. Questions raised at the work shop and not solved, other issues addressed
that need follow up
The main question which has to be cleared is the notion of “public in concern” and feasibility to
implement the obligations connected to it.
Definitely the option to lead the EIA and IPPC process in parallel needs follow up and wide
discussion.
8. The main outputs related to common EIA and IPPC issues represented by
the working groups.
Two working groups discussed the common problems with EIA and IPPC implementation from
the point of view of different stakeholders. Outputs presented by the representatives of groups
are as follows:
- recommendation to shorten the whole permitting procedure taking into account the
experiences from other countries
- to exclude the building permit from the IPPC process and make it similar to EIA
- to find way how to lead the EIA, territorial permit procedure and IPPC concurrently, after
existing installations are permitted according to IPPC Act (2007).
Except of these outputs other specific recommendations addressing separately to either EIA or
IPPC issues were defined and will be included to final recommendations.
CMDC
Joint
Venture:
4