The permit by the Environment Agency allows Magna to treat metals or plastics with electrolyte or chemical procedures in tubs of up to 395 cubic metres and to use up to 414 tonnes of organic solvents for treating products a year.

In addition to general obligations, the permit includes rules for air and water emissions, waste management and noise emissions.

Parties in the procedure - the Miklavž na Dravskem Polju municipality and two environmental associations, ZEG and ROVO - have 15 days from obtaining the Environment Agency's decision to appeal the permit before it becomes final.

Magna, which is finalising the construction of the paint shop, recently announced it expects to launch test production at the beginning of 2019, with mass production to follow suite in the spring.

So far, the automotive giant has employed around 140 people, with 400 people expected to get jobs by 2022.

Magna has already launched activities to implement the second stage of the project that will include the production of entire cars, but the company would not go into details about the efforts.

It has however filed the required documents for the environmental approval for the second stage with the Environment Agency.