BRATISLAVA – Slovakia’s Minister of the Environment, Tomáš Taraba, announced Monday he intends to formally apply for membership in the Slovak National Party (SNS). The move comes as Taraba distanced himself from potential overtures from the Smer-SD party, currently leading the governing coalition.
Taraba, a nominee of the SNS, and Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová were not invited to the SNS party convention held Saturday. “I identify with the SNS. I am their nominee in the government. The question is whether the Slovak National Party sees room for us to be members,” Taraba stated. He expressed his readiness to join the nationalist party, adding that he enjoys a close working relationship with Šimkovičová, both politically and within the cabinet. Though, he indicated he does not foresee a collaborative relationship with Sports Minister Rudolf Huliak, an independent.
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Za stav Slovalca môže bývalá vláda, posťažoval sa Taraba: Poviem vám, ako to bolo so Samsungom! (Zdroj: Topky/Ján Zemiar)
Taraba also suggested the SNS, as a governing party, should broaden its public messaging beyond criticism of Prime Minister Robert Fico. “I think playing opposition within a coalition is not always an agenda that interests people when the government needs to demonstrate unity,” the minister remarked. This statement underscores a potential internal dynamic within the ruling coalition.
Discussion on National Park Zoning
The Environment Minister also addressed the zoning of four national parks, noting that his department has received hundreds of comments on the proposed plans. He indicated the ministry will incorporate the highest level of protection for areas inhabited by capercaillie and plans to expand protective zones. “In the Tatra National Park, we are approaching the 70 percent mark. This will be the first national park in Slovakia to confidently have more than 50 percent of its territory under the strictest nature protection,” Taraba said. He also noted ongoing discussions regarding the definition of “old-growth forest,” as Slovak law currently lacks a specific definition.
Tomáš Taraba (Zdroj: Topky/Vlado Anjel)
Taraba also stated that regarding ski slopes, protections will be lowered from the third to the second level. The difference, he explained, will be that ski resort owners will not demand an exemption from the national park director for certain activities. He reiterated Slovakia’s need to build facilities for the energy recovery from waste, emphasizing they should be located on brownfield sites or in industrial complexes, not on greenfields. Failure to build such facilities, he warned, would leave Slovakia reliant on exporting its waste. He believes these facilities would also aid in the remediation of environmental burdens.
Comments on the Druzhba Pipeline
The minister initially disagreed with a proposal to build a waste-to-energy facility at the Slovnaft refinery in Bratislava, but now welcomes the plan following a reduction in capacity. “Originally, they wanted a capacity of 400,000 tons, but I said that this capacity is excessive for Bratislava. (…) By clearly defining that we consider a 400,000-ton incinerator to be something exorbitant, they revised it, and I then reacted accordingly,” Taraba stated.
Taraba also expressed his views on Ukraine and the damaged Druzhba pipeline, stating he does not consider Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a credible partner. He further believes that Ukraine, under Zelenskyy’s leadership, does not belong in the European Union, characterizing the country as corrupt.
