The hopes of transport minister Jan Figel to get approval from the EU for the new motorway section between the towns of Martin and Presov have come up against the same problem as his predecessor.
The construction requires funding to be approved by the European Commission, but it is still not convinced that the construction of the road section will not damage the protected areas of the Velka Fatra and Mala Fatra mountain ranges. Head of the Representative Office of the EC to Slovakia, Andrea Elshekova-Matisova informed that “Slovak institutions have already lodged relevant documents with the European Commission, and they are being assessed. We will now not be able to turn to the relevant bodies until September”.
This new hitch means the section between Martin and Ruzomberok will not be completed in 2012 as hoped, while the original contract projected with opening the section already in 2011.