Visegrad group environment ministers discuss regional cooperation in Miskolc

Environment ministers of the Visegrad group and delegations from Slovenia, Ukraine, Bulgaria and Croatia met for a three-day conference in Miskolc, in northern Hungary, on Wednesday. 

The plenary session focused on the European Commission‘s proposal for circular economy policy, aimed at boosting efficiency in raw material use and recycling to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Hungarian Farm Minister Sándor Fazekas told the press.

The result of the EC proposal will be a package of legislation “which takes fully into account the member states’ economic and social situations and their capacities in waste management”, he said.

The minister called for reasonably determined objectives and sufficient funding and time frames for the programme to be successful. 

Waste management has undergone considerable development in Hungary in recent years, Fazekas noted. The selective waste management and recycling system can now be extended to include selective treatment of biological waste, he added.

The participants also discussed regional cooperation in fighting back invasive alien species, Fazekas said. Invasive plant and animal species occupy territories from local species and may pose serious threats to public health and economy, Fazekas said. The process can only be halted by cross-border cooperation, he added.

Source: MTI