Peter Reiniger,  head of the Southeast and Central Europe division of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), is calling for a meeting with Slovenian Environment Minister Roko Zarnic to debate an environmental permit that has recently been revoked from Lafarge’s Trbovlje works in Slovenia.

Reiniger wants to present an independent review regarding the environmental permit. The Environment and Spatial Planning Ministry agreed that it would receive Reiniger in line with the law on lobbying, however, a date for the proposed meeting is yet to be confirmed.

The EBRD invested EUR 20m in Lafarge Cement in 2003. According to Reiniger, Lafarge Cement, which is based in the town of Trbovlje, wants to regain its environmental permit in order to reduce its operating costs. Without the permit, which was withdrawn by a Slovenia administrative court in February, the company cannot burn alternative fuels.

The ministry issued the permit in 2009 in line with EU legislation and a relevant cement production regulation which allows waste fuel burning with the appropriate techonologies.  Reininger noted that Lafarge Cement had made good progress in the past few years, the plant’s production was in line with the requirements for the best available technologies and with the relevant cement production
regulations.

Reiniger’s letter to  Minister Zarnic implies that these claims would be proved during the independent review being requested.