Radioactive waste from abroad will be allowed to be imported to Slovakia again. Members of the National Council of the Slovak Republic have lifted the ban on the import of such waste, which was introduced in 2021. The change came through an amendment to the Critical Infrastructure Act. MPs voted it down on Wednesday.
The petitioners explained that the ban on importing radioactive waste from abroad for treatment in the Slovak Republic was introduced even though it is a normal business activity “which, subject to strict safety measures, is not explicitly prohibited by any international or European legal act”. This prohibition came unexpectedly, according to them, after almost 20 years of such a permitted and commonly practised activity.
The new regulation also changes the Radiation Protection Act. “In the Radiation Protection Act, in 2021, the proposed provision changes the rigorous ban on import of radioactive waste for treatment purposes into a conditionally permitted import, provided that the conditions under the Atomic Act are met and an optimisation study on the treatment of radioactive waste is approved,” the petitioners explained. The competence of the Public Health Office of the Slovak Republic to approve the optimisation study is extended.
Source: TASR
