Children of the Earth win court battle over construction of D49 highway

The environment group Children of the Earth have won a legal battle over the construction permit for the Hulín-Fryšták section of the D49 highway in the Zlín Region. The Supreme Administrative Court on Friday overturned a 2022 ruling of the Municipal Court in Prague, which confirmed the legal validity of the building permit. According to the director of the Road and Motorway Directorate, Radek Mátl, the ruling will threaten the planned opening of this section of the highway this year. The Ministry of Transport must now deal with the objections of Children of the Earth, including a noise assessment study, which they say is underrated. Transport Minister Martin Kupka described the situation as unfortunate.