A three-day meeting of Visegrád Group (V4, Hungary, Slovakia Poland and the Czech Republic) environment ministers and representatives is being held in Miskolc; the event is also being attended by delegations from Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia”, it was stated at a press conference held mid-way through the meeting on Wednesday.
At the event, which was held in Diósgyőr Castle in Miskolc, Minister of Agriculture Sándor Fazekas told reporters that the main subjects of discussion at Wednesday’s plenary meeting had been the EU’s proposal for a circular economy, and climate policy, in addition to which joint action against invasive alien species was also put on the agenda.
“Negotiations on the package of proposals relating to a circular economy are well underway within the European Union, and are approaching completion. As a result of these negotiations, new legislation will be created that fully takes into account the current economic and social situation of individual countries and their waste management opportunities”, he added.
“It is important for the targets set to be achievable, and for the required timeframe and funding to also be available”, the Minister said. “Hungary has seen a host of development projects within the field of waster recycling in recent years, and there is also an excellent opportunity to expand the system, for instance within the field of the separate handling of biodegradable waste”, he noted.
With regard to opportunities for joint action against invasive alien species, Mr. Fazekas said “The placing of the topic into the agenda is also important because by now it has become obvious that the proliferation of these species is an extremely serious threat. Such species take over increasing areas after becoming established, displacing autochthonous plans and animals, an totally reforming the environment as a result, in addition to which their proliferation can also cause major healthcare and economic damage”.
EU regulations introduced in 2014 also provide the opportunity for the creation of so-called regional species lists, and the countries of the V4 must make use of the opportunity for regional cooperation because preventing the proliferation of alien species and managing the problem can only be realised through joint, cross-border efforts”, Mr. Fazekas added.