Greenpeace Slovensko has failed with its petition against the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (UJD) regarding a building permit issued in 2008 for the completion of units 3 and 4 at Mochovce nuclear power plant.
The Bratislava Regional Court issued the ruling today in favour of the nuclear authority, as the changes to the building permit allegedly do not affect the basic function of the construction, i.e. that it is a nuclear power plant.
Greenpeace contested that the extent of changes to the initial building permit (from as far back as 1986) were so fundamental that the project should have been subjected to an EIA, public discussion and other procedures. The organisation was therefore objecting to how the building permit was issued, claiming it was not legitimate.
A decision of the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee from the end of June 2011 condemned Slovakia’s nuclear regulatory authority UJD for violating the rights of the public when it refused to enable NGOs and the public to partake in discussions on the completion of Mochovce and in the EIA process.
Greenpeace’s legal representative Eva Kovačechová was obviously disappointed with the verdict and the NGO, chiefly as the Slovak Republic continues to ignore the Aurhus Convention, to which it acceded.