Law on Environmental Protection.

This Law establishes the principles of environment protection in Croatia, provides a framework for further regulation with respect to environment protection and makes provision for the implementation of environment protection policies and plans and the administration of the environment. Provisions of Chapter I (General provisions) state the objectives of environment protection, give definitions of several key notions of the Law and establish the Environmental Protection Council, a public advisory body. Chapter II contains a series of basic environmental protection principles including: the preventive principle; the principle of natural resources and biodiversity conservation; the principle of integrity; the polluter pays principle. Chapter III defines "environmental protection documents" such as the (national) Environmental Protection Strategy, Environmental Protection Programmes for areas of counties and the city of Zagreb, the Environmental State Report to be submitted every two years to the Parliament. Chapter IV makes provision for environment protection measures such as the establishment of standards, environment impact assessment, environmental state monitoring, the adoption of "physical plans", the keeping of an Environmental Pollution Cadastre, the establishment of an Environmental Protection Information System, economic incentives, the adoption of emergency plans, and the introduction of an environment protection label. Chapter V defines the liability for environmental pollution damage. Chapter VI provides for the financing of environment protection. The remaining Chapters (VII, VIII, and IX) provide for control and enforcement, prescribe penalties and contain transitional provisions. The Law consists of 76 articles.