Support for biodiversity, nature conservation as well as the fight against disposable plastics were the main topics of the representatives of the environmental ministries of the Visegrad Four countries (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia), Romania and Bulgaria in Tatranská Lomnica. After the meeting, the Slovak Environment Minister László Sólymos stated that Slovakia is the leader of the group in the fight against plastics, especially thanks to two prepared amendments.
The country will put a definite stop to the use of single-use plastic products by January 2021. By introducing the so-called anti-plastic measures, the country will ban the use of nine types of products, such as single-use plastic plates, cutlery, stirrers, straws, sticks for balloons, cotton buds, food containers and two types of glasses. This step is in compliance with the EU directive. Currently, up to 14,000 tonnes of non-packaging plastic products are imported to Slovakia, mostly plastic straws, plates and cutlery. The Environment Ministry wants to replace these products with more ecological alternatives.
An important topic of Wednesday's ministerial meeting was also the need for pollinators in food production and the whole of humanity. The population of bees and butterflies, which are some of the key pollinators, is at risk. Specifically, up to 40 percent of bees and 30 percent of butterflies are at risk in Europe, with Slovakia being no exception. According to the Slovak Environment minister, this topic should unite the countries in the region, as almost one third of the EU's beekeepers and hives are located in Central European countries.
