Environmental Protection Act.

This Act regulates the protection of the environment from pollution as a fundamental condition for sustainable development and, in this context, defines the fundamental principles of environmental protection, environmental protection measures, monitoring of the state of the environment and information about the environment, economic and financial instruments of environmental protection, public services of environmental protection and other issues related to environmental protection. This Act transfers and adopts several EU legislative documents (as listed in article 1-paragraph 2). This text includes a multi-sectoral approach that takes inti account different aspects such as public health, water pollution, waste management, soil conservation, air pollution, and all natural resources in general.
The purpose of environmental protection is to promote and direct such social development that enables long-term conditions for the health, well-being and quality of life of people and the preservation of biodiversity. The objectives of environmental protection are, in particular: 1. prevention and reduction of environmental pollution; 2. preserving and improving the quality of the environment; 3. reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and transition to climate neutrality; 4. ensuring resilience to climate change; 5. protection and sustainable use of natural resources; 6. preservation of biodiversity, natural balance and natural values, elimination of the consequences of burdening the environment, improvement of the disturbed natural balance and re-establishment of its regeneration capabilities. To achieve these goals it is necessary: 1. to promote the reduction of consumption and the production of sustainable products by taking into account the principles of the circular economy; 2. To promote the increase of material and energy efficiency of production and consumption; 3. To promote the abandonment and replacement of the use of hazardous substances; 4. To promote the development and use of technologies that prevent, eliminate or reduce the burden on the environment; 5. To pay for pollution and the use of natural resources; 6. To promote a climate-neutral society.
The state and the self-governing local community (municipality) when adopting policies, strategies, programs, plans, plans and general legal acts and when implementing other matters within their competence, promote such economic and social development of society that, in meeting the needs current generations take into account the same possibilities of meeting the needs of future ones and enables long-term preservation of the environment. In order to promote sustainable development, environmental protection requirements must be included in the preparation and implementation of policies and activities in all areas of economic and social development. n order to ensure sustainable development, when adopting policies, strategies, programs, plans, plans and general legal acts, the state and the municipality shall encourage and in their field of operation take into account the principle of a circular economy, which strives to prevent waste, reduce environmental pollution and preserve nature by reducing the use of substances, energy and materials, especially natural goods, and to the longest possible life cycle of products, materials and substances. Everyone is obliged to strive to achieve the principle of a circular economy from the previous paragraph, and especially persons who participate in the design of products and business models are obliged to act with special care.
This text is divided into sixteen main thematic Chapters and a total of 321 articles. Titles of these Chapters are as follows: I. Fundamental provisions; II. Environmental protection measures; III. Programs and plans in the field of environmental protection; IV. Environmental interventions; V. Climate Change; VI. Monitoring the state of the environment and environmental information; VII. Responsibility for the prevention and remediation of environmental damage; VIII. Economic and financial instruments of environmental protection; IX. The right to a healthy living environment and its legal protection; Mandatory state economic public services for environmental protection; XI. Organizations in the field of environmental protection; XII. Training; XIII. Control; XIV. Special provisions; XV. Penal provisions; and XVI. Transitional and final provisions.