HUNGARY: Opposition Fidesz party protests against planned power station in Slovakia's Trebisov, near the Hungarian border and the famous wine region of Tokaj

Hungary's Opposition Fidesz party protests against a planned power station in Slovakia's Trebisov, near the Hungarian border and the famous wine region of Tokaj. There are fears the power station would cause heavy pollution for Hungary. Hungary's largest opposition party, the conservative "Fidesz" joined on Wednesday (August 1) the growing number of opponents to a planned power station at Trebisov in Slovakia. The party called a news briefing in front of the Slovak Embassy in the Hungarian capital Budapest in order to protest against the coal power station planned near to the Hungarian border. If plans are approved this would be Slovakia's largest coal-fired power station. Opponents of the plan say the power station would cause heavy pollution on the Hungarian side of the border as well as in Slovakia. Concerns include pollution due to coal transport, air pollution due to coal burning, damage to soil, and acid rain. According to Fidesz, the power station would endanger the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people on both sides of the border. "When we now raise our voice against the coal power station planned in Trebisov we are defending the Slovak citizens as well as the Hungarian citizens on both sides of the border," Zoltan Illes, a Fidesz politician told the news briefing. The opposition politicians handed over a petition to a representative of the Slovak Embassy in which they call on the Slovak government not to give building permission for the power station. "Today when the issue of climate change is so much in the forefront, and the air pollution is so heavy, we cannot allow that approximately 4 million tons of extra carbon dioxide to get into the air," Illes said. "It endangers the interests of Slovakia, and it won't be able to fulfil its obligation within the carbon emission quota that Slovakia is entitled to. Furthermore, it would endanger the interests of the whole planet through global climate change, and it's against the interests of Hungary and the European Union's energy policy and environmental expectations. Therefore we do not support this power station and we expect the Slovak government to refuse permission to build this power station," he added. The Hungarian government says it is determined to put a stop to the 885-megawatt power plant. The Hungarian environment ministry recently informed the Slovakian government that it wished to vet the construction of the plant before it is issued with a licence. Campaigns against the power plant have already been mounted on both sides of the border. In Trebisov, more than 9,000 signatures have so far been collected against the power station and the town's council decided not to support the plan. On the Hungarian side, locals and environmental groups are concerned not only for the chemical effect on the soil but the effect on the local climate. The distinctive flavour of the wines of Tokaj, some of the most sought-after sweet wines in the world, owes much to the climate of the region.

ITN Source | August 2, 2007

Tags:. .european. .unions. .damage. .protests. .planet