Environmental Policies
#30Key Findings
As a reluctant reformer in this area, Czechia scores relatively poorly (rank 30) in the area of environmental policy. Its score on this measure has declined by 0.7 points relative to 2014.
The country has been slow to increase energy efficiency and launch an energy transition. Renewables accounted for 16% of total consumption in 2019. The government plans to phase out coal by 2038, but this is to be replaced by gas. Nearly 40% of energy comes from nuclear power, and the country was a key figure in pushing for its classification as sustainable under EU rules.
A new set of strategic environmental objectives was adopted in 2021. However, governments have shown little previous commitment to improvement and cross-agency coordination in areas such as water management. Investigation into an ecological disaster on a major river in 2020 found no culprit, but experts said a company linked to the then-prime minister was likely involved.
Biodiversity is deteriorating due to agriculture and transport activities. The country often does the least amount possible to fulfill its EU environmental obligations. The government sought major changes to the EU Green Deal in order to protect the country’s automotive industry.
The country has been slow to increase energy efficiency and launch an energy transition. Renewables accounted for 16% of total consumption in 2019. The government plans to phase out coal by 2038, but this is to be replaced by gas. Nearly 40% of energy comes from nuclear power, and the country was a key figure in pushing for its classification as sustainable under EU rules.
A new set of strategic environmental objectives was adopted in 2021. However, governments have shown little previous commitment to improvement and cross-agency coordination in areas such as water management. Investigation into an ecological disaster on a major river in 2020 found no culprit, but experts said a company linked to the then-prime minister was likely involved.
Biodiversity is deteriorating due to agriculture and transport activities. The country often does the least amount possible to fulfill its EU environmental obligations. The government sought major changes to the EU Green Deal in order to protect the country’s automotive industry.
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How effectively does environmental policy in your country protect and preserve the sustainability of natural resources and environmental quality?
10
9
9
Environmental policy goals are ambitious and effectively implemented as well as monitored within and across most relevant policy sectors that account for the largest share of resource use and emissions.
8
7
6
7
6
Environmental policy goals are mainly ambitious and effectively implemented and are monitored within and across some of the relevant policy sectors that account for the largest share of resource use and emissions.
5
4
3
4
3
Environmental policy goals are neither particularly ambitious nor are they effectively implemented and coordinated across relevant policy sectors.
2
1
1
Environmental concerns have been largely abandoned.
Environmental policy in Czechia is shaped largely by the country’s obligations to implement EU legislation, which sets both the policy agenda and has provided much of the necessary finance. In January 2021, the Babiš government adopted the State Environmental Policy of the Czech Republic 2030 with an Outlook to 2050, which set 10 strategic objectives: addressing water availability and quality; air quality improvement; exposure to hazardous chemicals; decreasing noise and light pollution levels; preparedness for natural disasters; quality of life and safety in cities; decreasing greenhouse emissions (only in seventh place); circular economy; landscape stability; and biodiversity (Ministry of the Environment 2021). However, there has been criticism of past policies relating to governments’ lack of commitment and failure to ensure the required coordination between agencies. Water management has followed the general pattern, earning criticism for the government’s lack of commitment on issues including storm-water management, water retention in agriculture and urban wastewater treatment. The case of an ecological disaster on the river Becva in September 2020 exemplifies this. While almost 40km of the river was damaged and 40 tons of fish killed, the investigation by the Czech Environmental Inspection and the police failed to find any culprit. Investigative journalists and some environmental experts link the catastrophe to DEZA – a company in Babiš’s Agrofert holding. In April 2021, a parliamentary investigation committee for the Becva case was established and found significant failures in the investigation.
Poor air quality, particularly in North Moravia and North Bohemia, has made addressing pollution a high-priority issue. The problem is primarily a result of energy policy and the country’s heavy dependence on fossil fuels. Air and water pollution are at the heart of an ongoing conflict between Poland and Czechia around the Polish coalmine Turow. Mining has continued despite a ruling by the European Court of Justice in September 2021 that Poland should stop mining and pay €0.5 million for each day of non-compliance.
Improvements in energy efficiency and the use of renewables have been slow, the latter reaching 16% of total energy in 2019. Coal is set to be phased out by 2038, but is to be replaced in the first instance by gas. During the negotiation of the European Green Deal in fall 2021, Czechia joined France in demanding that nuclear energy be designated as clean energy. When the National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) for 2021–2030 was adopted, the European Commission found that of its 10 recommendations in the 2019 NECP draft only three were fully addressed (internal energy market, investment needs and analysis of air quality), six were only partially addressed (renewables, energy security, regional energy cooperation, phasing out energy subsidies, R&D, and just and fair energy transition) and one had not been addressed at all (energy efficiency) (European Commission 2020).
In biodiversity, the first strategy produced by the Ministry for the Environment was adopted in 2005, shortly after accession to the European Union. This included objectives and indicators for monitoring results but no allocation of specific tasks. An updated strategy for 2016–2025 published in 2016 (Ministry of the Environment 2016) lamented the low public awareness of the issue of biodiversity, particularly as the overall situation was continuing to deteriorate due largely to agriculture and transport activities; indeed, this meant that the issue could not be addressed by the Ministry of the Environment alone. The Nature Conservation Agency for Czechia (Agentura ochrany přírody a krajiny ČR, NCA CR), established in 2015, actively monitors the country’s biodiversity and administers various categories of protected territory (including 24 protected landscape areas under the IUCN category, and about 8,000 other types of protected areas under IUCN Ia, III, IV), which cover 16% of the country’s area. The use of EU funds has helped maintenance and development in this area. In November 2021, NCA CR supported the World Commission on Protected Areas’ statement to global leaders at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, prepared by its UK counterpart.
Citations:
European Commission (2020): Assessment of the final national energy and climate plan of Czechia. SWD(2020) 902 final, Brussels (https://ec.europa.eu/energy/sites/ener/files/documents/staff_working_document_assessment_necp_czechia.pdf).
Ministry of the Environment (2016): National Biodiversity Strategy of the Czech Republic 2016-2025. Prague (https://www.mzp.cz/web/edice.nsf/4A46CA81084E521FC1258050002DAE0C/$file/NBS_CR_2016-2025.pdf).
Ministry of the Environment (2021): State Environmental Policy of the Czech Republic 2030 with outlook to 2050. Prague (https://www.mzp.cz/C125750E003B698B/en/state_environmental_policy/$FILE/OPZPUR-SEP_2030-210615.pdf).
Poor air quality, particularly in North Moravia and North Bohemia, has made addressing pollution a high-priority issue. The problem is primarily a result of energy policy and the country’s heavy dependence on fossil fuels. Air and water pollution are at the heart of an ongoing conflict between Poland and Czechia around the Polish coalmine Turow. Mining has continued despite a ruling by the European Court of Justice in September 2021 that Poland should stop mining and pay €0.5 million for each day of non-compliance.
Improvements in energy efficiency and the use of renewables have been slow, the latter reaching 16% of total energy in 2019. Coal is set to be phased out by 2038, but is to be replaced in the first instance by gas. During the negotiation of the European Green Deal in fall 2021, Czechia joined France in demanding that nuclear energy be designated as clean energy. When the National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) for 2021–2030 was adopted, the European Commission found that of its 10 recommendations in the 2019 NECP draft only three were fully addressed (internal energy market, investment needs and analysis of air quality), six were only partially addressed (renewables, energy security, regional energy cooperation, phasing out energy subsidies, R&D, and just and fair energy transition) and one had not been addressed at all (energy efficiency) (European Commission 2020).
In biodiversity, the first strategy produced by the Ministry for the Environment was adopted in 2005, shortly after accession to the European Union. This included objectives and indicators for monitoring results but no allocation of specific tasks. An updated strategy for 2016–2025 published in 2016 (Ministry of the Environment 2016) lamented the low public awareness of the issue of biodiversity, particularly as the overall situation was continuing to deteriorate due largely to agriculture and transport activities; indeed, this meant that the issue could not be addressed by the Ministry of the Environment alone. The Nature Conservation Agency for Czechia (Agentura ochrany přírody a krajiny ČR, NCA CR), established in 2015, actively monitors the country’s biodiversity and administers various categories of protected territory (including 24 protected landscape areas under the IUCN category, and about 8,000 other types of protected areas under IUCN Ia, III, IV), which cover 16% of the country’s area. The use of EU funds has helped maintenance and development in this area. In November 2021, NCA CR supported the World Commission on Protected Areas’ statement to global leaders at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, prepared by its UK counterpart.
Citations:
European Commission (2020): Assessment of the final national energy and climate plan of Czechia. SWD(2020) 902 final, Brussels (https://ec.europa.eu/energy/sites/ener/files/documents/staff_working_document_assessment_necp_czechia.pdf).
Ministry of the Environment (2016): National Biodiversity Strategy of the Czech Republic 2016-2025. Prague (https://www.mzp.cz/web/edice.nsf/4A46CA81084E521FC1258050002DAE0C/$file/NBS_CR_2016-2025.pdf).
Ministry of the Environment (2021): State Environmental Policy of the Czech Republic 2030 with outlook to 2050. Prague (https://www.mzp.cz/C125750E003B698B/en/state_environmental_policy/$FILE/OPZPUR-SEP_2030-210615.pdf).
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To what extent does the government actively contribute to the design and advancement of global environmental protection regimes?
10
9
9
The government actively contributes to international efforts to design and advance global environmental protection regimes. In most cases, it demonstrates commitment to existing regimes, contributes to their being advanced and has introduced appropriate reforms.
8
7
6
7
6
The government contributes to international efforts to strengthen global environmental protection regimes. It demonstrates commitment to existing regimes and occasionally contributes to their being advanced and/or has introduced some appropriate reforms.
5
4
3
4
3
The government demonstrates commitment to existing regimes, but does not contribute to their being advanced and has not introduced appropriate reforms.
2
1
1
The government does not contribute to international efforts to strengthen global environmental protection regimes.
Over time, Czechia has moved from being a passive recipient of EU and international agendas to playing an active role in blocking the European Union’s establishment of more ambitious environmental goals. Like Estonia, Hungary and Poland, Czechia is not ready to wean itself off coal. The country also does the least amount possible to fulfill EU obligations and is not very effective when doing so. In November 2021, Prime Minister Babiš demanded major changes to the EU Green Deal, including postponing the proposed 2035 ban on combustion engines, which would significantly hurt the Czech automotive industry. Together with France and Finland, Czechia also pushed to include nuclear energy in the EU sustainable finance rules (nuclear comprised 37% of total energy sources in Czechia in 2020 compared to 70% in France). The demand was supported by Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Slovenia.