Waste Processing Landfill Site in Pezinok1997 – 2009: Citizens Defending their Environment
Pezinok
A town of 20,000 inhabitants
Famous vine growing area
20 km away from the capital city The old landfill
The “old” existing landfill is situated just over 150 m away from a residential area
The “old” landfill site contains millions of tons of old waste (including toxic waste)
Citizens of Pezinok suffer more from cancer than the average rate in Slovakia
Depth: a 4-floor condominium
Area: 11 and half soccer fields
Potential capacity: 792,000 tons of waste
The distance from living area: 280 meters
“New” Landfill Site
The new landfill, 2008
ignored incompatibility of the construction plan with the binding law,
unlawfully made the decision-making process and the decisions secret,
excluded the citizens and the municipality from the proceeding,
tolerated the illegal construction and illegal use of the landfill.
During the procedure of permission for the construction the state authorities:
The Head of the state insitution that decided on the construction permission was Ján Man Jr. who was also:
a political nominee of the strongest government party,
a co-owner of the land under the landfill,
a son of the owner of the company that was building the landfill,
member of the board of trustees of the company.
Background
82% of Pezinok inhabitants did not agree with building the new landfill
1,200 citizens participated in the proceedings
A year long series of mass public protests
10 public protest actions in total
In a single day more than 8,000 people signed the petition that was sent to the European Parliament
Citizens’ Response
Public Support 150 public figures supported the protest
Growing support of the civic protest from all over the country
Support of the top political representatives of the country
More than 100 outputs in the national media monthly
Legal Support to the Civic InitiativeGranted a lawyer to work on the case for several years
Strategic LitigationA case of illegal exclusion of the citizens from the proceedings (Constitutional
Court ruling)A case of violation of freedom of speechAccess to information was limited to the citizens
Biela vrana (White crow) award 2008
Via Iuris:
What Makes this Story so Unique?
Synergy of legal tools and public campaigning
Extremely vital and long-lasting civic activism
Close cooperation of the municipality and the civic initiative
Significant involvement of the media
Never Ending Story?
The protest has lasted for more than 10 years
This is the largest civic campaign in Slovakia since 1989
Many top legal experts and public institutions agreed with the arguments of Pezinok citizens
The construction of the landfill has been finished
The landfill is being filled with waste
Until the last authority decides the landfill will be full of waste and the damage made on the environment will be irreversible
However
Photo: SME
Will the Damage Made on the Rule of Law in Slovakia be Irreversible as well?