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Environmental rules - Czech Republic

Updated 12/2012

Legal requirements

Environment law for business is enshrined in approximately twenty acts and related provisions. The bodies responsible for making sure they are implemented are the:

Inspections

If you fail to keep to the rules, penalties will be enforced for polluting the air, dumping waste, releasing effluents, extracting surface and subsurface water etc. On the other hand, environmentally-friendly behaviour is rewarded through incentives (environmental taxes, tax relief etc.), provided by the government.

  • Environmental protection instruments čeština

The Czech Environmental Inspectorate carries out most of the compliance monitoring.

  • Czech Environmental Inspectorate čeština

Environmental impact assessments examine the impact a project may have on the environment.

The Environmental Impact Assessment Act lays down the rules for carrying out such evaluations.

  • Environmental impact assessments - legislative framework (valid reference to the Act) čeština
  • EIA and SEA aims and principles (environmental impact assessment processes) čeština

Businesses are free to go beyond the minimum environmental legal requirements at their own initiative.

Administrative procedures

Declaratory procedures

You have to satisfy certain conditions before being able to carry out certain activities:

  • obtain special permits and/or consent from the government,
  • adhere to environmental standards (emissions limits, the duty to report, preventative and remedial measures).

Integrated pollution prevention and control (IPPC) is a special administrative procedure that is compulsory only for certain types of business structure.

  • IPPC - specifications, instruments, regulations čeština
  • IPPC - further information čeština
  • Best available technologies - instruments for environmental protection čeština

Resources

More information on environmental issues is available here:

  • Czech Environmental Inspectorate
  • Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic
  • Czech Environmental Information Agency čeština
  • Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic čeština
  • Public Administration Portal of the Czech Republic čeština

Programmes

Grants, guaranteed loans, soft loans, tax advantages and other economic aid mechanisms have been set up to encourage businesses to comply with environmental laws.

The main programmes supporting businesses are the:

  • the National EMAS programme (Environmental Management System for companies)
  • National EMAS programme čeština
  • National programme for labelling environmentally-friendly products and services
  • Labelling environmentally-friendly products and services čeština
  • European eco-labelling programme "The Flower"
  • EU eco-labelling čeština
  • National programme for environmental labelling - includes the national programme for environmentally-friendly products and services, a second type of environmental labelling known as the "personal environmental commitment" in accordance with ISO 14021 and a third type of environmental labelling known as the "environmental product declaration" in accordance with ISO 14025
  • National programme for environmental labelling čeština
  • Self-declared environmental claims čeština
  • Environmental product declaration čeština
  • The National Programme for Cleaner Production (a strategy for the more effective use of original resources)
  • National Programme for Cleaner Production čeština

All of these programmes are underwritten by the Ministry of the Environment in cooperation with CENIA, the Czech Environmental Information Agency.  If you are interested in linking up with these programmes, or for related advice, contact the above organisations.

Check also the legislation on this topic in:

  • References

    Legal texts

    • List of regulations applying to individual areas of environmental protection čeština

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