Country summaries
Country:
Slovakia
Data collection:
The State Geological Institute of Dionýz Štúr (SGIDŠ) collects data, on behalf of the Ministry of the Environment, on primary raw materials ‘reserves’, on an annual basis, via a questionnaire survey which mineral operators, exploration companies and owners of mineral rights have a statutory obligation (for ‘reserve’ data only) to fulfil. In addition to providing reserve data annually to SGIDŠ, mineral operators have to report reserve data when applying for a ‘mining lease’. A number of legal regulations (Acts, Decrees and Government Directives) in Slovakia are relevant to the provision of data on primary raw materials resources and reserves, and these apply to the reporting of data on all minerals types. The ‘Mining Law’ (SNR Act No.44/1988 Col. on mineral protection and exploitation (Mining Law) in the wording of the SNR Act No.498/1991 Col. and the NR SR Act No.558/2001 Col., in the wording of the Act No.203/2004 Col., the Act No. 587/2004 Col., the Act No. 479/2005 Col. and the Act No. 219/2007 Col.) and the ‘Geological Law’(NR SR Act No.569/2007 Col. on geological works) are the two principal legal regulations on prospecting and exploitation of mineral resources and they are supported and implemented by several additional Acts and Decrees. They cover the collection, storage, processing, assessment and provision of geological documentation and the results of geological surveys, and management of an inventory of mineral reserves, for all minerals. Classification of ‘reserves’ of ‘exclusive mineral deposits’ of Slovakia is regulated by an Act on ‘mineral protection and use’ and a decree ‘on classification of reserves and reserves calculation of exclusive mineral deposits’. Data is collected on a diverse range of minerals, for the whole country. A range of other data sets relevant to resource evaluation also exist for Slovakia e.g. the map of ‘raw mineral deposits’.
Data harmonisation and standardisation:
Reserves of ‘exclusive mineral deposits’ are classified into the following three categories according to the stage of survey, quality, technological characteristics and mining conditions. These are further subdivided into a number of additional ‘reserve’ categories. The term resource is not used in Slovakia classification system. Accordingly, Slovakia reserve classification system differs significantly from that used in the Czech Republic and is not aligned with an internationally recognised standard code. It is used for ‘reserve’ reporting on all reserved minerals in the country. All mineral reserve data available for Slovakia is harmonised at its source level i.e. when data is reported it should comply with the Slovakia classification system (i.e. the national code).
Data accessibility:
In Slovakia SGIDŠ owns/holds the data on national mineral ‘reserves’, on behalf of the Ministry of the Environment. Data is stored in a national centralised database and GIS system, therefore the data is spatially referenced. It is not INSPIRE compliant. SGDIŠ publishes a ‘register of reserved (the states minerals) minerals’, ‘evidence of non-reserved minerals’ (e.g. building stone, gravel sands and brick clays) (not publically available), and the ‘Slovak minerals yearbook’ (publically available). The ‘Slovak minerals yearbook’ contains a substantial amount of data on ’reserves’, including information on the number of ‘reserved deposits’ registered, ‘total geological reserves – reserves in their original form, without considering mining losses and dilution’ for the following categories: ‘mineral fuels’, ‘metals’, ‘industrial minerals’ and ‘construction minerals’. The number of ‘deposits’, ‘reserves’ and the number exploited and output are also reported by administrative region and district. Detailed information (number of deposits, number exploited, ‘reserves’ across the various Slovak ‘reserve’ categories, total ‘reserves’ and mining output) is provided for the following metals: uranium, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, antimony, mercury, tungsten, silver and gold, industrial industrial minerals (magnesite, talc, bentonite, gypsum, baryte, limestone, dolomite, zeolite, perlite, ceramic and refractory clays, kaoline, basalt, dimension stone, diatomite, graphite, rock salt, silica minerals and sands, feldspar, mica) and construction minerals (‘crushed stone’, ‘gravel sands’ and ‘brick clays’). Specific reports on mineral deposits can remain confidential at the request of the reporting company, for a maximum period of 10 years. ‘Reserve’ data can be accessed as printed documents produced by SGIDŠ and electronically (free of charge) via their website. With the exception of the ‘Slovak Minerals Yearbook’ data is generally not available in English. The ‘Slovak Minerals Yearbook’ can be accessed at: http://www.geology.sk/new/sk/node/1218.
Mining waste:
Information on closed or abandoned mines is being provided by the State Geological Institute of Dionýz Štúr (www.geology.sk), Regional centre Spišská Nová Ves within the project “The Inventory of closed and abandoned mining waste facilities which cause serious threat to human health or environment according to requirements under Directive 2006/21/EC”. Time frame of the project is from July 2011 to December 2013. The object of the project is to inventory 350 closed and abandoned mining waste facilities. This number does not represent total number of closed and abandoned mining waste facilities on the territory of the Slovak Republic.
The Slovak Environmental Agency (SAŽP) administrates the Information System on Mining Waste Management (http://charon.sazp.sk/Odpady_tp/). This information system contains the Register on closed and abandoned mining waste facilities (http://charon.sazp.sk/Odpady_tp/Ulozisko.aspx). Information in this register represent to the public available output of the inventory on closed and abandoned mining waste facilities in the Slovak Republic.
Information is provided on the environmental impacts associated with these closed facilities. The inventory does not include all mining waste facilities on the territory of the Slovak Republic, but it includes all mining waste facilities which cause serious negative environmental impacts or have the potential of becoming in the medium or short term a serious threat to human health or the environment.
The closed or abandoned inventory contains information on the locations, types and size of facilities, the types of minerals being extracted, and many other data points also (including geographic coordinates, altitude, information on operator of waste facility, general description of current status of mining waste facility, risk assessment of mining waste facility etc.). The data are made available to the public via the Information System on Mining Waste Management (http://charon.sazp.sk/Odpady_tp/), and are available at national scale and free of charge. However, these data are not permitted to be reproduced elsewhere.
Information is also provided on operating mining waste facilities, The Information System on Mining Waste Management contains the Register on operating mining waste facilities (http://charon.sazp.sk/Odpady_tp/ObsahRegistrov/WasteFacility.aspx?status=34). At present, to 1st December 2013, 105 operating mining waste facilities are registered. Information on these facilities is provided for their locations, facility types (e.g. heap), size, and waste characterisation (e.g. mineral content), as well as other data points (including descriptions of waste management plans and necessary permits held). Information is available at a national scale only. Access to the data is free, but these data are not permitted to be reproduced elsewhere.
Landfill stocks/waste flows:
Legislative and Organisational Overview
An overview of the pertaining legislation at national, regional and communal level may be found at (http://scp.eionet.europa.eu/facts/factsheets_waste/2011_edition/factshee...)
Responsible bodies:
- Ministry of Environment (MoE) – Department of Waste Management: preparation and implementation of waste legislation
- Regional Environmental Offices – prepare Waste Management Plans for regions, second-level authorisation
- District Environmental Offices: issue permits to waste management operations and activities, approve Waste Management Plans of municipalities and waste producers, control activities Slovak Environment Inspectorate (and some other institutions): inspection on waste legislation
- Local municipalities
- Slovak Environmental Agency: expert organisation of the MoE, support to MoE by data analysis and preparation of Waste Management Plans of SR [Source: BiPRO]
Further information on management and infrastructure at (http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/framework/pdf/SK_factsheet_FINAL.pdf)
Data on ‘waste generation and treatment’ is monitored and collected. In Slovakia the Slovak Environmental Agency (SAŽP) and Statistical Office of Slovakia both collect data on waste, according to the European waste catalogue codes. SAŽP collects data on waste via an annual questionnaire survey (targeting industry, municipalities and public administration), on behalf of the Ministry of the Environment and also manages the national ‘Regional Information Waste System (RISO). There are legal regulations (Acts) in Slovakia which require collection of data on waste as defined by the EC, as well as on ‘mining waste’.
SAŽP is the holder of data. The data is held in a national centralised ‘information system‘ and the data is organised at a national and regional level. The data is spatially referenced and INSPIRE compliant. The data is available free of charge and can be accessed via data requests and SAŽP manages an internet portal, ENVIROPORTAL (http://www.enviroportal.sk) open to public, and a database (RISO), which is only open to authorised users. The data is not available in multilinguial formats. The Statistical Office of Slovakia publishes a yearbook ’Waste in the Slovak Republic‘ (available to public) based on SAŽP data.
Further useful information is available at (http://www.geology.sk)
Landfill Stocks
Regulated by transposition of the Landfill Directive 1999/31/EC. Directive 1999/31/EC has been transposed into: Act No. 223/2001 Coll. on Waste and on Amendment of Certain Laws. (For further details, see the link above).
Data on operating and closed landfill sites are provided for location only. There is no data on in-use metal stocks. National-level landfill data is collected annually and can be accessed by the public at the following addresses:
- (http://globus.sazp.sk/skladky/)
- (http://envirozataze.enviroportal.sk/)
- (http://www.geology.sk/new/sk/sub/ms/geof/skladky)
There is no charge to access these databases, and the data can be freely reproduced in other databases or publications with permission.
Waste Flows
Regulated by transposition of the Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC. Waste management (including hazardous waste management) in Slovakia is regulated by one comprehensive act: Act No. 223/2001 on wastes, as amended by later regulations and by a set of implementing regulations. The act has been harmonised with all EU Waste Directives, including the Directive 2000/53/EC on end-of life vehicles, the Directives on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), the Directive on PCB/PCT, the Directive on hazardous waste, the Landfill Directive and others. (For details on the structure of this act, see the legislation link above).
Waste flows arising from these sites are captured in terms of their type (e.g. hazardous), quantity, treatment (e.g. D and R code), characterisation (e.g. European Waste Code) and activity (e.g. NACE). These waste flow data are reported on an annual basis.
Waste flows are reported on Eurostat at (http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/waste/data)
Marine minerals:
Land locked.
Overseas territories:
Slovakia has no overseas territories or dependencies.
Additional information:
Improved definition of secondary raw materials would facilitate better monitoring in Slovakia