More than half of Slovak municipalities have no sewerage

The country might face penalties from the European Union for failing to meet development standards

Last week, Slovakia’s Supreme Audit Office (NKÚ) released a report on the status of wastewater treatment and sewerage in the country, which showed some surprising conclusions, at least for a country in the European Union and the Eurozone.

The report in question puts to light the fact that between 2015 and 2021 the share of residents who had been connected to the public sewerage system has grown by only five percent. What’s more, only 1,155 of Slovakia’s 2,890 municipalities are connected to the public sewerage system.

Overall, this means that 3.85 million Slovaks enjoy this service, considered standard for any Western country. The total population of the country is almost 5.5 million people.

The problem is particularly acute in the southern regions of the country, which are home to a substantial Hungarian minority. The districts of Trebišov, Krupina and Rimavská Sobota have been identified as the places with the worst indicators in that respect.

What can be the repercussions?

Rural areas are particularly prone to using outdoor toilets, so extensive and reliable connection to a public sewerage system has long been seen as the hallmark of modernity, ensuring higher public health standards.

That is why when Slovakia signed up to join the EU in 2004, the development of this infrastructure was put up as one of the national goals for development. The plan was to have 90% of the population connected to public sewerage by 2015 but this has clearly not been achieved.

In twenty years, nearly two billion euros were reinvested in Slovakia in the construction of new sewers and wastewater treatment plants, while a significant part of this amount is European financial aid,” said NKU head Lubomir Andrassy, quoted by The Slovak Spectator.

What this means is that the EU finances have not been invested well or have been misused and the result can be penalties for the country. In fact, the European Commission has already started an infringement process against Slovakia.

In the event that the state does not fulfil its international obligations, the Brussels institutions will impose financial sanctions, which the government will have to pay from the state budget. 

The minimum flat-rate fine can exceed 600,000 euros with a daily penalty of 3,000 euros for failing to meet national obligations.