The Impact of Europeanisation of Criminal Environmental Protection on Criminal Law in the Czech Republic

Abstract This article focuses on the influence of EU legal instruments on the criminal law of the Czech Republic in the field of environmental protection. The aim of the article is to analyse this influence and examine individual legal definitions of environmental crimes in the Czech legal system. For this purpose, descriptive, comparative, analytical, and logical methods are employed. The author first assesses the state of environmental protection in the Czech Republic, not only through criminal law. This is followed by a list of legal definitions of individual criminal offences, with an explanation of their basic features and specific differences. Each is referenced with the specific EU or public international law regulation on which the offence was based when introduced into the Czech legal system. The article also presents recent case law from the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic concerning this issue. In conclusion, the author evaluates the level of environmental protection provided by criminal law and concludes that the Czech Republic is active in this area, fulfilling its obligations arising from European regulations governing environmental protection.