CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2011
| Author | Jevsejenko, Alexandr |
|---|---|
| Title | Barriers to effective implementation of EU environmental directives in the Czech Republic |
| Summary | EU environmental legislation in the Czech Republic suffers from a relatively high post-accession non-compliance. This implementation deficit poses a serious threat to the environment, because ca 80 % of all environmental legislation applicable in the Czech Republic is now adopted through the EU policy process. Hence this thesis aims to identify horizontal barriers to effective implementation of environmental directives adopted by the European Union after 1 May 2004, relevant for the Czech Republic. The term effective implementation refers to the degree to which both legal and practical implementation correspond with the objectives defined in the directives. Through 16 qualitative interviews with officials from Prague and Brussels, including two former Czech Ministers of Environment, I identify two narratives of non-compliance specific for the Czech Republic and two narratives embedded in the EU system of administration. The former cover resistance of many Czech politicians to environmental legislation as well as to any EU initiatives, and poor quality of the Czech civil service. The latter are poor quality of some directives and limited impact of infringement procedures. None of the narratives alone can explain non-compliance, but the combination of the four seems to cover all the major barriers. Based on the analysis, I offer recommendations to decision-makers who want to reduce these barriers. In particular, I advise the Commission to make better use of interim measures and linkages with structural funding, and Czech decision-makers to finally allow the civil service act to become effective and to use more performance-based remuneration in public administration. |
| Supervisor | Antypas Alexios |
| Department | Environment Sciences and Policy MSc |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2011/jevsejenko_alexandr.pdf |
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