WORKSHOP PAPERS
The environmental policy of the Czech Republic is fundamentally based on the responsibility of the present generation to future generations for the preservation and conveyance of the basic values of life. The policy therefore emphasizes a rational and efficient use of resources - namely through recycling, reduction of pollution to levels which do not irreversibly harm human health and nature, protection of biodiversity, and the fulfillment of basic human needs in ways both economically and environmentally sound. The dynamic approach inherent to the policy stresses ecologically, economically, socially and politically suitable options, while averting static dogma which would restrict economic growth and lead to centralized state control.
Similar to the environmental policies of more developed countries, that of the Czech Republic also consists of a gradual transition from remedial to preventive measures, from normative tools toward those more economic and market-oriented, and from an approach which focused on the 'elements' of the environment to one more sectorial in emphasis. The Czech policy prioritizes preventive measures to protect human health, and also focuses on the conservation of energy and non-recoverable resources; and, as mentioned, seeks solutions both environmentally and economically sound, encouraging a gradual change in consumption and production patterns.
The priority measures in Czech environmental policy have been drawn up so that in addition to providing solutions to local problems, they also fulfill the obligations resulting from international agreements and conventions the Czech Republic has adopted or intends to adopt. Furthermore, the drafting process also takes into account the prospect of Czech membership of the European Union (EU), as it does that of the OECD, which the country recently joined.
A credible policy of protection and improvement of the environment must inevitably be based on a thorough and strong legislative and administrative background. This, however, does not mean that all activities must be expressed in the form of acts and regulations.
The environmental policy of the Czech Republic derives from the basic idea expressed in the 5th Environmental Action Programme of the EU whereby 'we all acknowledge our responsibility for environmental protection'. The document also underlines the need to increase the spectrum of tools for implementing environmental policy. Indeed, Czech environmental policy makers concur that legislation itself is insufficient to achieve balanced development, and that additional approaches be tried. Namely, various economic tools, but also, information, education, training, and, under certain conditions, volunteer activities of industry and other sectors of the economy.
Voluntary industry initiatives for a more sensitive approach toward the environment may contribute significantly to the overall process of environmental protection, and with it, fortify sustainable development. Without the active involvement of industry and other sectors toward this end, the real way to sustainable development would take much longer.
Environmental awareness has now reached a level whereby, generally speaking, it is possible to coordinate efforts to protect the environment with the interests of industry itself. Namely, that industry now acknowledges its share of responsibility for environmental protection. This is due in part because in some branches of industry the immediate benefits of reducing emissions and the quantity of waste produced can be achieved. Emissions and waste represent losses of raw materials and energy, the cost of which is often not sufficiently considered by producers.
This economic incentive for an improvement of environmental efficiency can, moreover, be enforced by economic tools.
Practical experience confirms that those branches of industry who ignore their share of responsibility for the state of the environment and prefer short-term profits to the detriment of the environment, can face serious problems and dramatically high costs when the resulting damage to the environment can no longer be neglected. For these reasons some branches of industry in more developed countries now figure the costs of maintaining a sound environment into their overall business expenses, at least in the long-term view.
This political and economical reality seems to be understood by industry all over Europe. The Czech Republic also strives to implement volunteer activities of industry and their practical enforcement. These efforts are based on the experience of the EU Member States and on the EU's 5th Environmental Action Programme, which emphasizes that industry is not only a part of the problem but part of the solution. We in the Czech Republic realize as well that industry has to be clean, inventive, and competitive, and should cooperate in solving problems as they arise.
In the Czech Republic, the volunteer activities of industry with regard to environmental protection are supported by state administration, who through cooperation attempt to ensure the realization and implementation of the environmental plans and targets integral to state policy. On the other hand, the fact that industry is interested at all in participating in these activities means the sector has duly understood its own interest in the adoption and fulfillment of the tasks and in not evading its obligations toward environmental protection. There are presently several types of volunteer activities among industry in the Czech Republic aimed toward a more sensitive approach to the environment.
The agreement is aimed at a reduction of the undesirable influence of detergents on the environment, namely on surface water quality, and sets content limits for admixtures in these products. It covers detergents intended for retail use, i.e., those products supplied by members of the association (either producers or importers) to the retail market.
It should be noted, meanwhile, that the such voluntary agreements between industry and the MoE draw on the experiences of EU Member States and respect several principles:
The EMAS system is aimed at a permanent improvement of the behavior of companies as regards environmental protection in industrial activities. It is based on the EC Council Regulation No. 1836/93, regarding the volunteer participation of industrial companies in a system of ecologically oriented management and audits. It is closely connected with the implementation of cleaner production, representing the realization of systematic measures which reveal the sources of industrial pollution, define their reasons, suggest and evaluate possible environmental solutions, and realize those which are optimum. EMAS comprises systems which use the same procedure for long-term improvement of the environmental impacts of production. The realization of a cleaner production program results in the implementation of EMAS; so it follows that a due implementation of EMAS cannot be realized without the establishment of procedures for cleaner production. The differences can be seen primarily in that EMAS does not consist only of seeking preventive technologies but considers the use of end-technologies as well (for example, separators, incinerators, and sewage treatment plants).
Cleaner production represents the permanent application of an integral preventive strategy of environment protection regarding production processes and products in order to reduce risks to human health and to the environment. In production processes it entails a more efficient use of raw materials and energy, the elimination of toxic substances, and the reduction of the quantity and toxicity of waste even before it is produced. (UNEP definition).
The national program, in accordance with prevailing international concepts and with the experience of existing systems in other countries, is based on the following principles:
The national program primarily aims to:
The program is a voluntary system organized as a tender for a license agreement on the right to use the 'ecologically sensitive product' label. The so-called 'directives for a label license' are used as technical standards in evaluating the given category of products. The program is coordinated by the MoE of the Czech Republic.
The labeling of ecologically sensitive products is organized and financed by the MoE. The system is in turn guaranteed by the minister of environment. The nature, construction, and realization of the program is compatible already with existing national programs in West European countries.