Environment minister under fire for scrapping consulting services department

Environment Minister Tomas Podivínský’s decision to scrap a ministerial department providing consulting services to firms and consumers has evoked widespread criticism, with experts arguing that it runs counter to EU trends in this field. The abolished section dealt, among others, with environment-friendly labels that help consumers find healthy products in shops. Ministry spokesman Matyáš Vitik said the agenda would continue to be handled at the ministry but would be divided among the remaining sections. NGOs working in the field say other departments and sections have suffered a similar fate in the past three years and accuse the government of gradually downgrading the ministry’s role.