Report: removal of old environmental damages is slow

The removal of environmental damages inflicted during decades of communist rule is still slow and has not accelerated in recent years, according to a report published by the Supreme Audit Office on Monday. In some instances, the clean-up process has not even started.

The state has already paid CZK 66.2 billion for the disposal of old environmental burdens, caused by state-owned industrial companies before their privatisation.

The process of removing all sorts of environmental damages got underway in 1991. At the time of the audit, 120 out of 327 environmental contracts had still not been completed. According to the Environment Ministry's latest estimates, the process of removing old environmental burdens will continue at least until 2042.