In Svrcinovec, a small town located at the intersection of the D3 Highway and National Road 11, the construction of an ecoduct may displace a small local Roma community. The D3 highway, which connects the regional capital of North-West Slovakia, Zilina, with the Czech and Polish borders, has been under construction since the late 1990s with an aim to improve the road infrastructure of the E75 to accommodate higher density of traffic and to improve the living conditions of people in communities affected by increased traffic. The highway is planned to be completed in 2023. [1] The mountain region crossed by the main roads has been recognized as an area of three biotopes and as a trans-regional migration route of animals, including four big predators. To prevent collisions with animals and to improve environmental protection, the National Motorway Company, responsible for construction and maintenance of motorways, prepared a project to construct a wildlife crossing, or ecoduct, in the vicinity of the D3 highway crossing with National Road 11. The construction is meant to connect two consequent forests, cross the populated valley and connect to the existing railway ecoduct. The construction work is believe to exceed 16 million Euro and is planned to start in the second half of 2020. [2] The concerned house is surrounded by several huts, which are inhabited by 37 people [2]. The affected house belongs to the family that inhabits it while the surrounding land is not privately owned. The construction company would be obliged to redeem the property at a price set by an expert. However, the owner of the house is already in debt and the settlement of huts around the house is illegal. Therefore, the current residents may not receive money from the sale of the house in order to acquire another house or another piece of land [2]. While the case attracted media coverage in spring 2019, no solution has been found since then and the future for the affected families is still unclear. (See less) |
Roma families fear displacement due to construction of an ecoduct across National Road, Svrcinovec, Slovakia
Roma families in Svrcinovec face the risk of displacement due to the construction of an ecoduct across roads with high traffic density.
In Svrcinovec, a small town located at the intersection of the D3 Highway and National Road 11, the construction of an ecoduct may displace a small local Roma community. |
| Name of conflict: | Roma families fear displacement due to construction of an ecoduct across National Road, Svrcinovec, Slovakia |
| Country: | Slovak Republic |
| State or province: | Zilina county |
| Location of conflict: | Svrcinovec |
| Accuracy of location | HIGH (Local level) |
| Type of conflict. 1st level: | Infrastructure and Built Environment |
| Type of conflict. 2nd level: | Transport infrastructure networks (roads, railways, hydroways, canals and pipelines) |
| Project details | The National Motorway Company has been working on the construction of the D3 in several phases since the late 1990s. The costs of the ecoduct to be constructed here are reported to exceed 16 million Euro and constructions is planned to start in the second half of 2020. [2] |
| Level of Investment for the conflictive project | 20,000,000 |
| Type of population | Semi-urban |
| Affected Population: | 40 - 70 |
| Start of the conflict: | 01/01/2019 |
| Company names or state enterprises: | National Motorway Company (NDS) from Slovak Republic - Constructor / Investor |
| Relevant government actors: | Municipal office Svrcinovec Office of Plenipotentiary for Roma Communities Ombudswoman Office |
| International and Finance Institutions | European Commission |
| Intensity | LOW (some local organising) |
| Reaction stage | In REACTION to the implementation (during construction or operation) |
| Groups mobilizing: | Local government/political parties Ethnically/racially discriminated groups |
| Forms of mobilization: | Development of alternative proposals Official complaint letters and petitions |
| Socio-economical Impacts | Visible: Displacement Potential: Lack of work security, labour absenteeism, firings, unemployment |
| Project Status | Planned (decision to go ahead eg EIA undertaken, etc) |
| Conflict outcome / response: | Under negotiation |
| Proposal and development of alternatives: | The municipal office in Svrcinovec claims that it wants to secure accommodation for Roma families from the side of the National Motorway Company and avoid that the Roma families are evicted from the municipality altogether. As the mayor stated, the municipality neither has any available building plots nor existing buildings for the Roma families. The mayor entered into negotiations with the National Motorway Company, the Office of the Plenipotentiary for Roma Communities (a governmental body) and the Obudswoman's Office to find a solution to provide housing for its inhabitants. According to the mayor, the National Motorway is responsible for buying the property, for its demolition and the compensation of the inhabitants. The mayor also mentioned that the constructor considers different options regarding new housing for the affected families. |
| Do you consider this an environmental justice success? Was environmental justice served?: | Not Sure |
| Briefly explain: | The construction of the highway needs to comply with environmental protection conditions set by the funder, while at the same time it may lead to the loss of housing or even displacement of local Roma families. |
| Juridical relevant texts related to the conflict (laws, legislations, EIAs, etc) |
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| Last update | 24/07/2019 |
| Conflict ID: | 4359 |