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Environmental-rules - Czech Republic

Updated 01/2011

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 applied for polluting the air, dumping waste, releasing effluents, removing 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.

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

Environmental impact assessments look at the impact a project may have on the environment.

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

  • Environmental impact assessments - legislative framework čeština (platný odkaz na Zákon je).
  • Aims and principles of EIAs and SEAs (processes for assessing environmental impacts) 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 only compulsory for certain types of business structure.

  • IPPC - specification, tools, legislation čeština
  • IPPC - further information čeština
  • Best available techniques - environmental protection tools čeština

Resources

More information on environmental issues is available here:

Programmes

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

The main programmes supporting companies 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
  • European eco-labelling programme "The Flower"
  • European Union eco-labelling čeština  (due to changes to the eco-labelling website you should use only the link to "www.ekoznacka.cz 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
  • Personal environmental commitment
  • Environmental product declaration
  • The National Programme for Cleaner Production (a strategy for the more effective use of original resources)
  • National Programme for Cleaner Production

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 aforementioned organisations.

Check also the legislation on this topic in:

  • References

    Legal texts

    • List of laws related to individual areas of environmental protection čeština

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