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Through cooperation in the Košice region, we are gradually approaching an important milestone in air protection.
18. 02. 2025
Air
In connection with the assessment of the impacts of strategic documents on the environment (SEA), a public discussion of the Report on the Assessment and Proposal of the Air Quality Improvement Program (PZKO) for the Košice agglomeration and the Košice Region zone was held on February 4, 2025.

At the beginning, the entire process of creating the PZKO and its compliance with all legislative and methodological requirements was presented. The Košice District Office is the processor of the PZKO. Its objectives, proposed priority and support measures, interested participants in the preparation of the document and the structure of the document were described. The PZKO was last processed in 2013, so its update was more than necessary, also in connection with the European Commission's lawsuit for non-compliance with the Ambient Air Directive. The Košice Region Zone and the Košice agglomeration are affected territories from the point of view of this lawsuit.
The Slovak Environmental Agency was the developer of the Strategic Document Assessment Report, whose representative explained the process of creating the assessment report and the methodology that was used. She also commented on the measures in the document itself and provided comments that emerged during the preparation of the report. Overall, however, the evaluator recommends approving the strategic document. The completion of the environmental impact assessment process is the issuance of a final opinion, which will recommend or not recommend the adoption of the strategic document, after the expert opinion has been prepared.
The report on the evaluation of the strategic document as well as the draft program are also available on the Enviroportal: https://www.enviroportal.sk/eia/detail/program-na-zlepsenie-kvality-ovzdusia-pre-aglomeraciu-kosice-zonu-kosi
Oral comments were made in the discussion, mainly from the public. The suggestions and comments concerned various areas of air quality, whether it was monitoring, planting greenery, compensatory measures, the functioning of the Environmental Fund and others. The comments made generally reflected the interconnection of partial problems in the air quality complex. The comments were answered by representatives of the PZKO contractors, or by the report processor. The comments that were delivered in writing are currently being evaluated. In the near future, an expert assessor will be appointed to prepare an expert opinion and draft a final opinion, which will be the basis for further steps towards the publication and validity of the PZKO.
In conclusion, it is necessary to point out that a coordinated effort is being made to improve air quality in the Košice region. The competent authorities are aware of the importance of creating the PZKO and, through joint action, are aiming to adopt an important strategic document, the result of which should be a better quality not only of the air, but also of the environment in general, and thus of the lives of the inhabitants of the Košice region.