Legal protection of soil and landscape in the Czech Republic in the light of evolving EU law: an assessment of implementation (2014–2025)

Abstract

This article presents the EU and Czech legal frameworks for soil and landscape protection and identifies shortcomings in the implementation of EU legislation that undermine the effective protection of soil and landscape in the Czech Republic. Shortcomings have been identified in the following areas: harmonised monitoring of soil health and contaminated-site inventories; mitigation of urban sprawl (land-take) integrated into spatial planning through a clear hierarchy of avoidance, mitigation and compensation; the enforceability of anti-erosion standards under public law beyond subsidy control; and liability for serious soil degradation not resulting from contamination. The proposed coherent reform package includes a Soil Health Act implementing the EU monitoring framework, binding land-use trajectories in spatial planning, public-law obligations equivalent to GAEC standards, an extended administrative liability regime for severe non-contamination soil degradation, and open, interoperable data to support monitoring and enforcement. Combined with inter-ministerial coordination, these measures could align Czech practice with the evolving EU acquis and deliver tangible benefits in terms of improved soil health, reduced erosion and the reversal of land sealing.