Tomáš Taraba

Minister of the Environment of the Slovak Republic

The Ministry of Environment of the Slovak Republic, in the newly appointed government led by Robert Fico, is headed by Tomáš Taraba. The new Minister of Environment and also the Deputy Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic was appointed to the position by the President of the Slovak Republic, Zuzana Čaputová, on October 25, 2023. The minister's ambition is to lead the environmental department professionally, proudly, and above all, with integrity. The priority will be transparency, the efficient and systematic use of financial resources for environmental protection that will improve the quality of the environment and bring prosperity to the Slovak countryside.

The minister's initial steps will focus on conducting a comprehensive audit and cleaning up the financing of environmental projects. "In the parliamentary elections, we received a mandate from the people who are calling for change in the field of the environment. We want to protect nature, we want real environmental protection that will help the Slovak countryside and prevent the destruction of Slovak industry and agriculture. Financial resources must primarily go towards nature conservation, not into ancillary activities that are not directly related to environmental protection," emphasized the designated minister Taraba. The new head of the environmental department will also address the issue of regulating large carnivores.

A favorable environment is a fundamental right of every citizen, as enshrined in the Constitution of the Slovak Republic. Therefore, the key role of the head of the environmental department will be to determine the most important priorities in the field of environmental policy and environmental protection and incorporate them into the government's policy statement.

Slovakia also has a significant investment debt in the construction of water infrastructure. "Several hundred municipalities in Slovakia do not have sewage systems in place, so one of the challenges will be to immediately launch investments to support local projects and the development of water infrastructure, which will help rural communities and environmental protection," explained Taraba.

Tomáš Taraba is a graduate of the Faculty of National Economy at the University of Economics in Bratislava. He further developed his knowledge in business management at the University of Regensburg. He also studied political science at Comenius University in Bratislava. He is fluent in German, English, and French.