The State neglects the noise issue, could face millions in penalties - SAO
News
Bratislava, 26 July 2024 - The issue of noise in the outdoor environment is practically uncontrolled in Slovakia. In the audited years 2020 to 2023, the Public Health Office (ÚVZ) of the Slovak Republic fulfilled its tasks only formally; the Ministry of Health (MoH) of the Slovak Republic, as a coordinator, did not take an interest in this area, did not coordinate the cooperation of the involved ministries through regular meetings or a working group. There was insufficient cooperation and guidance with the MoH. The Office did not communicate openly about the shortcomings it encountered in practice.
Slovakia faced a lawsuit before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in 2020 for non-compliance. In the future, it may face further legal action with sanctions already running into millions of euros. The Supreme Audit Office (SAO) of the Slovak Republic has focused on examining the management processes of the system for protecting the population against environmental noise and fulfilling obligations by the responsible authorities for this very reason.
The full text of the press release about this issue in Slovak language