Bratislava, 3 April 2025 – The Ministry of Tourism and Sport of the Slovak Republic (hereinafter referred to as the "Ministry") responds to the statuses of members of the National Council of the Slovak Republic Ján Horecký and Igor Janckuli
April 3, 2025
Tourism | Ministry | Press releases
Bratislava, 3 April 2025 – The Ministry of Tourism and Sport of the Slovak Republic (hereinafter referred to as the "Ministry") responds to the statuses of the deputies of the National Council of the Slovak Republic Ján Horecký and Igor Janckulík published on 2 April 2025 on their Facebook profiles in connection with the parliamentary bill on tourist routes.
The ministry strongly objects to claims that it did not read the bill properly and did not look for solutions to support it. On the contrary, the proposal was professionally assessed, submitted to the inter-ministerial comment procedure and comments were raised not only by the Ministry itself, but also by other ministries and institutions – such as the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Slovak Republic, the Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic, the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic, the Ministry of Finance of the Slovak Republic, the Ministry of Transport of the Slovak Republic, the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic, the Ministry of Investments, Regional Development and Informatization of the Slovak Republic, the Ministry of Defence of the Slovak Republic, The Office for Standardization, Metrology and Testing of the Slovak Republic, Forests of the Slovak Republic and the Union of Regional Associations of Non-State Forest Owners of Slovakia.
The ministry prepared an 18-page expert opinion in which it identified in detail the key shortcomings of the proposal. The Legislative Council of the Government of the Slovak Republic also identified with this position. The proposal, together with the opinion, was subsequently submitted to the Government of the Slovak Republic.
The Ministry has repeatedly emphasized that the issue of tourist routes is important and deserves legislative anchoring. However, due to its cross-cutting nature, touching on several areas of public administration and complex issues of property rights, it considers it inappropriate to submit such a proposal in the form of a parliamentary initiative. The Ministry emphasizes that the preparation of this law must be preceded by the creation of an inter-ministerial working group, within which an expert discussion will be held in order to prepare for thesystematic and high-quality legislation in cooperation with all concerned ministries.
The draft law, as submitted by KDH MPs, shows serious shortcomings – from contradictions with the Constitution of the Slovak Republic, through disproportionate interference with property rights, to the absence of financial coverage and methodology for calculating compensation. In addition, it interferes with several valid legal regulations (e.g. the Act on Nature and Landscape Protection, the Act on Forests), while the fundamental comments of the ministries remain unsettled.
The ministry rejects the claim that the amendment removed all reservations. These were only minor formal adjustments that do not in any way solve the systemic, factual and legal problems of the submitted proposal. In view of the above, the ministry cannot agree with the current form of the parliamentary proposal. Responsible legislation in such a sensitive area as interference with property rights must be the result of a professional, interdisciplinary and transparent discussion, not a hasty political solution.
At the same time, the ministry emphasizes that despite the lack of legislation in the field of tourist routes, it is already taking concrete steps to promote tourism. It prepares calls focused on the restoration and marking of hiking trails, the construction and reconstruction of shelters, the installation of information panels and navigation elements, as well as the construction of infrastructure – sanitary facilities, shelters and resting places. At the same time, the ministry will support regional and regional tourism organizations with 14 million euros. It is a concrete and targeted assistance to the regions, which contributes to the development of tourism and better access to the natural beauty of Slovakia.