Environmental Policies
#22Key Findings
With a number of difficult decisions still ahead, Slovakia falls into the middle ranks (rank 22) with regard to environmental policies. Its score on this measure has improved by 0.3 points relative to its 2014 level.
The current government has accelerated climate policy. A strategy is in place to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, with emissions dropping by 55% relative to 1990 by 2030. This is very ambitious, as the country has one of the most energy-intensive industrial sectors in the EU.
The country currently relies strongly on nuclear power, with more units coming on line. It has lagged in transitioning to renewable sources. It has not yet made much progress in implementing environmental taxes.
New laws address eliminating plastic containers, improving waste management and stopping the import of nuclear waste. Air pollution, solid waste management and biodiversity conservation all remain challenges. The current government has been far more eager than predecessors to work with the EU on environmental issues.
The current government has accelerated climate policy. A strategy is in place to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, with emissions dropping by 55% relative to 1990 by 2030. This is very ambitious, as the country has one of the most energy-intensive industrial sectors in the EU.
The country currently relies strongly on nuclear power, with more units coming on line. It has lagged in transitioning to renewable sources. It has not yet made much progress in implementing environmental taxes.
New laws address eliminating plastic containers, improving waste management and stopping the import of nuclear waste. Air pollution, solid waste management and biodiversity conservation all remain challenges. The current government has been far more eager than predecessors to work with the EU on environmental issues.
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How effectively does environmental policy in your country protect and preserve the sustainability of natural resources and environmental quality?
10
9
9
Environmental policy goals are ambitious and effectively implemented as well as monitored within and across most relevant policy sectors that account for the largest share of resource use and emissions.
8
7
6
7
6
Environmental policy goals are mainly ambitious and effectively implemented and are monitored within and across some of the relevant policy sectors that account for the largest share of resource use and emissions.
5
4
3
4
3
Environmental policy goals are neither particularly ambitious nor are they effectively implemented and coordinated across relevant policy sectors.
2
1
1
Environmental concerns have been largely abandoned.
In Slovakia, interest groups and policymakers have traditionally assigned priority to economic growth rather than the protection of the environment. As a result, the approach to environmental issues has tended to be patchy rather than holistic, and the implementation of environmental laws and regulations has been weak. However, citizen sensitivity for environmental and climate issues has considerably increased in recent years. Thus, almost 70% of Slovak citizens are worried about climate change. Air pollution, solid waste management and biodiversity conservation have been the three main environmental challenges in the Slovak Republic. There is a need for reforms to radically improve the environmental effectiveness of public policies in the Slovak Republic. Thus, the OECD (2020) recommends shifting away from regulatory (command-and-control) measures to more incentive-based instruments which would allow achieving the environmental protection and public health objectives more cost efficiently. Another recommended measure is to use of pricing instruments that could raise additional budget revenue and help finance improvements in the country’s waste management and nature protection systems. Despite the recommendations of international organizations, there has been very little progress in the areas of environmental taxes (OECD 2020).
The new center-right government has been quite active in the realm of environmental policy. There has been a high output of new laws and regulations regarding, inter alia, restructuring the national parks, eliminating plastic bottles and cans, improving waste management and stopping the import of nuclear waste. Building on preparations by the previous government, Minister of the Environment Ján Budaj has presented the country’s strategy to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, the goal set by the EU (Ministry of the Environment 2021). This will cause additional costs amounting to 1.8% of GDP annually until 2040. The strategy is quite ambitious as CO2 emissions must be 55% below that of 1990 levels by 2030. As Slovakia relies on one of the most energy-intensive industries within the EU, with emissions of 22 million tons of CO2 in 2019, this goal is particularly challenging.
Regarding energy production, Slovakia relies strongly on its nuclear power plants. In 2021, after more than 12 years of construction, the third unit of the Mochovce nuclear power plant was ready for commissioning and fuel loading and is expected to go into full operation in early 2022. Economy Minister Richard Sulík (SaS) hopes that the fourth unit of the Mochvce nuclear power plant will also be put into operation during the current term of parliament, that is, by 2024. At the same time, Slovakia lags behind in transitioning to more renewable energy sources. The European Commission started an infringement case against Slovakia for failure to transpose a directive promoting the use of energy from renewable sources. In December 2021, the government reacted and set out to change the law accordingly.
Citations:
Ministry of Environment (2021): Low-Carbon Development Strategy of the Slovak Republic until 2030 with a View to 2050. Bratislava (https://www.minzp.sk/files/oblasti/politika-zmeny-klimy/ets/lts-sk-eng.pdf).
OECD (2020): Towards a green fiscal reform in the Slovak Republic: Proposals for strengthening the role of market-based environmental policy instruments. OECD, Environmental Policy Papers, No. 19, Paris (https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/environment/towards-a-green-fiscal-reform-in-the-slovak-republic_1aa92a49-en).
The new center-right government has been quite active in the realm of environmental policy. There has been a high output of new laws and regulations regarding, inter alia, restructuring the national parks, eliminating plastic bottles and cans, improving waste management and stopping the import of nuclear waste. Building on preparations by the previous government, Minister of the Environment Ján Budaj has presented the country’s strategy to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, the goal set by the EU (Ministry of the Environment 2021). This will cause additional costs amounting to 1.8% of GDP annually until 2040. The strategy is quite ambitious as CO2 emissions must be 55% below that of 1990 levels by 2030. As Slovakia relies on one of the most energy-intensive industries within the EU, with emissions of 22 million tons of CO2 in 2019, this goal is particularly challenging.
Regarding energy production, Slovakia relies strongly on its nuclear power plants. In 2021, after more than 12 years of construction, the third unit of the Mochovce nuclear power plant was ready for commissioning and fuel loading and is expected to go into full operation in early 2022. Economy Minister Richard Sulík (SaS) hopes that the fourth unit of the Mochvce nuclear power plant will also be put into operation during the current term of parliament, that is, by 2024. At the same time, Slovakia lags behind in transitioning to more renewable energy sources. The European Commission started an infringement case against Slovakia for failure to transpose a directive promoting the use of energy from renewable sources. In December 2021, the government reacted and set out to change the law accordingly.
Citations:
Ministry of Environment (2021): Low-Carbon Development Strategy of the Slovak Republic until 2030 with a View to 2050. Bratislava (https://www.minzp.sk/files/oblasti/politika-zmeny-klimy/ets/lts-sk-eng.pdf).
OECD (2020): Towards a green fiscal reform in the Slovak Republic: Proposals for strengthening the role of market-based environmental policy instruments. OECD, Environmental Policy Papers, No. 19, Paris (https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/environment/towards-a-green-fiscal-reform-in-the-slovak-republic_1aa92a49-en).
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To what extent does the government actively contribute to the design and advancement of global environmental protection regimes?
10
9
9
The government actively contributes to international efforts to design and advance global environmental protection regimes. In most cases, it demonstrates commitment to existing regimes, contributes to their being advanced and has introduced appropriate reforms.
8
7
6
7
6
The government contributes to international efforts to strengthen global environmental protection regimes. It demonstrates commitment to existing regimes and occasionally contributes to their being advanced and/or has introduced some appropriate reforms.
5
4
3
4
3
The government demonstrates commitment to existing regimes, but does not contribute to their being advanced and has not introduced appropriate reforms.
2
1
1
The government does not contribute to international efforts to strengthen global environmental protection regimes.
As part of the European Union, Slovakia supports the European Union’s 2030 climate and energy policy framework, and its contribution to the global Paris Agreement. Slovakia was the fourth country to ratify the Paris Agreement. The new government demonstrates greater commitment to addressing climate issues than does the previous one, and it is very eager to comply with the European Commission’s most recent Green Deal efforts. This is reflected, for example, in Slovakia’s establishment of a Government Council for the European Green Deal for cross-sector coordination. Slovakia signed a contribution agreement with the Green Climate Fund in September 2019, but it has not acted as an international agenda-setter for global environmental policy.