Doing business in the Czech Republic: Environmental rules
07 April 2012by Ina Dimireva -- last modified 07 April 2012
Environment law for business in the Czech Republic is enshrined in approximately twenty acts and related provisions.
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Legal requirements
The bodies responsible for making sure that environmental legislation is implemented are the:
Czech Environmental Inspectorate
Regional and municipal authorities
Nature and Countryside Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic
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.
Environmental protection tools
The Czech Environmental Inspectorate carries out most of the compliance monitoring.
Czech Environmental Inspectorate
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 (platný odkaz na Zákon je).
Aims and principles of EIAs and SEAs (processes for assessing Environmental impacts)
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
Best available techniques - environmental protection tools
Resources
More information on environmental issues is available here:
Czech Environmental Inspectorate
Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic
Czech Environmental Information Agency
Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic
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:
National EMAS programme (Environmental Management System for companies)
National programme for labelling environmentally-friendly products and services
European eco-labelling programme "The Flower"
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
The National Programme for Cleaner Production (a strategy for the more effective use of original resources)
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.
Source: Your Europe
