Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič said on July 31 that he is returning an amendment to Slovakia’s Waste Treatment Act to parliament for revisions because of a number of objections he has towards the legislation, the TASR newswire wrote.

Gašparovič proposes adopting a number of amending proposals that would retain exemptions from paying fees to the Recycling Fund. According to the president, the bill bluntly increases the number of entities required to pay fees to the Recycling Fund, which could push up the prices of products such as electronics.

“Increases in these prices could lead to a fall in purchasing power and in demand for the related products as a result of their purchase in neighbouring countries and to an ensuing rise in joblessness. Scrapping exemptions from mandatory fee payments to the Recycling Fund during the crisis could have an adverse impact on the business environment,” the president wrote in a statement, as quoted by TASR.

The president stressed that according to the Slovakia’s Constitution, its economy should be based on a socially-minded market model. “It is fair to note that extending the list of manufacturers and importers required to pay fees to the Recycling Fund was not part of the government-backed measure,” he said about the bill that was approved by lawmakers in June.

Prime Minister Robert Fico on the same day backed Gašparovič. The PM urged lawmakers to carefully consider the president's objections and to vote accordingly. TASR

Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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