The Slovenian cabinet has concluded that the construction of an off-shore liquefied gas terminal in the Gulf of Trieste would have an impact on the Slovenian environment which is why the country has a vested interest in the plans.
Reviewing a report of the trans-boundary impact of the construction of the planned gas terminal in Italian territorial waters near the Slovenian maritime border, the cabinet concluded on Thursday that such a terminal would have an extensive impact on Slovenia. As a result the government adopted a plan of measures to uphold its interest according to international law. The Slovenian government believes that it has not been suitable informed of the plans by the Italian authorities. Italy failed to adhere to provisions of the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context and provisions of a memorandum between Slovenia, Italy and Croatia on a joint navigation scheme in the northern Adriatic.
The Transport Ministry has been tasked among other things to send Italy a note pointing to the provisions of the memorandum between Slovenia, Italy and Croatia on the joint navigation scheme in the northern Adriatic, Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning Janez Podobnik said.
Speaking after the cabinet session, Podobnik explained that his ministry has been tasked with returning the deficient documentation it got from Italy and demanding full documentation from the Italian authorities.
The Foreign Ministry will also have to raise the issue of the deficient documentation with the Italian Foreign Ministry.
Podobnik also announced that he has already sent a request to his Italian counterpart Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio for a prompt meeting on the matter.
Moreover, the Ministry of the Economy has been tasked with contacting regional authorities in Italy's Friuli-Venezia Giulia in a bid to sign a protocol on consultations regarding the cross-border impact of the planned project. Podobnik reiterated that the Slovenian government expects that Italy would respect all provisions of international and EU law in regard to the plans.
The Slovenian government will be active in upholding Slovenian interests for safeguarding the sensitive ecosystem in the northern Adriatic, Podobnik stressed, adding that Slovenia had recently declared an ecological zone in the Adriatic.
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