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Environmental information systems
The Czechia country profile provides a concise overview of key trends across three dimensions: environment and climate; socio-economic change; and system change (energy, mobility and food) in the country. It highlights the main developments and challenges in these areas, including measures to support progress towards sustainability in Czechia. An assessment for each of the three dimensions was prepared by national experts from the European Environment Information and Observation Network (Eionet) in Czechia, based on 20 established indicators from the EEA or Eurostat.
Czechia has made significant progress in decoupling environmental pressures from economic activity over the past few decades. However, the country remains one of the most energy-, carbon- and resource-intensive economies in the EU, largely due to its strong industrial base and substantial reliance on coal. The green transition poses numerous challenges, exacerbated by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which has significantly affected Czechia. Despite these hurdles, the country remains committed to decarbonising its economy and is working towards meeting the EU’s 2030 reduction target.
New policies are being implemented to support sustainable transport, renovate buildings for greater energy efficiency and invest in cleaner and more efficient energy sources and recycling infrastructure. Czechia’s recovery and resilience plan includes a repowerEU chapter focused on phasing out dependency on Russian fossil fuels, diversifying energy supplies and increasing clean energy production in the coming years. In light of the energy crisis and current geopolitical situation, these initiatives are vital for securing Czechia’s energy independence and advancing the transition to greener technologies. The country’s large industrial sector offers an opportunity to capitalise on the green transition, but further investment in research and innovation in clean energy technologies will be required.
Key trends and assessments
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Summary assessment
Environmental quality in Czechia has significantly improved over recent decades, largely due to substantial investments in pollution reduction. The country is on track to meet national air pollution targets by 2030, except for those for ammonia (NH3), for which meeting the targets remains uncertain. The quality of surface water has improved since 2000, aided by new wastewater treatment plants and advanced technology, but progress has stalled in recent years. The main challenge lies in identifying and regulating diffuse sources of pollution. Intensive agriculture remains the primary factor contributing to surface water pollution. Intensive agriculture is also driving soil degradation and biodiversity loss.
Czechia has made notable strides in decoupling environmental pressures from economic activity, driven by structural and technological changes. The energy sector is gradually transitioning away from solid fossil fuels and increasing renewable energy use, while still relying on nuclear power, but improvements in energy efficiency and consumption are still needed. GHG emissions have decreased by 47.8% since 1990, and the country is working to meet the EU’s 2030 reduction target through the application of additional measures.
However, about 14% of households still use solid fossil fuels for heating, with coal accounting for roughly 12% of heating fuel. The recent energy crisis has led some households to continue or switch to using coal due to the high costs of alternative heating methods. The transport sector is the least advanced in terms of decarbonisation, with increasing energy consumption and over 90% reliance on fossil fuels. Czechia has the third-lowest share of new battery electric vehicle registrations in the EU Member States.
Czechia is undergoing its second economic transformation in 30 years, seeking sustainable production models that are compatible with its economy, which has historically relied heavily on industry. In recent years, the country has faced one of the sharpest declines in real wages within the EU. The Gini coefficient remains stable, indicating low levels of income inequality, but housing and energy affordability remain major concerns. Czechia ranks among the least affordable countries for housing in Europe, and, in 2023, the bottom three income deciles spent 15.7% of their income on energy (well above the EU average of 10.0%) [3]. Given its reliance on energy-intensive industrial production and exports, there are growing public concerns about the potential cost increases associated with this transformation.
Transitioning away from coal presents a significant challenge for Czechia in terms of energy dependency and regional disparities, requiring substantial funds to facilitate economic diversification and modernisation in its three coal regions (Moravskoslezský, Ústecký and Karlovarský). The operational programme just transition aims to mitigate the negative impacts of the coal phase-out by supporting projects that contribute to economic diversification, job creation, retraining, environmental improvement, biodiversity-focused landscape reclamation and quality-of-life enhancement in these regions.
Despite its potential in green technology development, Czechia ranks as a below-average eco-innovator. Its innovation capacity, competitiveness and productivity are held back by shortages of workers and skills, while higher education has become less aligned with labour market needs. However, with the support of the national recovery plan, universities have increased their capacities and adapted study programmes to focus on digital technologies and advancements in environmental sustainability. Additionally, investments in research and development are increasing, particularly in the ICT sector. The eco-industry is also showing notable growth in added value and employment, exceeding the EU averages.
Environmental protection expenditure in Czechia is consistently among the highest in the EU. These investments have focused on wastewater management, air and climate protection, and waste management. Nevertheless, there remains a need to address environmental burdens from historical industrial production and mining.
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The food system
Czech agriculture differs from that of most Member States due to its large-scale industrial character, with large fields, a predominance of hired labour and land, and the low level of diversification of production. While these characteristics have driven productivity and efficiency in recent years, large-scale farming has significantly affected natural habitats, soil and water quality.
Structural changes in Czech agriculture are being partially addressed through eligibility criteria for financial support under the common agricultural policy (CAP). Since 2023, a measure has been in place to decrease soil erosion by limiting the size of the area covered by a single crop (up to 10 ha on erosion-prone land). Financial support has fostered the continuous growth of organic farming and also other alternative farming models. Emerging farmer initiatives are focusing on the adoption of regenerative agriculture and agroforestry. Support for agroforestry has been approved since 2023 as part of the CAP strategic plan. Farmers are also increasingly implementing precision agriculture. In 2023, about a third of farmers used at least some form of smart technology. However, this progress has not been sufficient to offset the impact of intensive agriculture on biodiversity loss, mainly due to a lack of emphasis on this area in the CAP strategic plan. For example, populations of farmland birds declined by 46.8% between 1982 and 2023.
A growing problem in the food production and distribution sector is the shortage of workers, especially in labour-intensive sectors like fruit and vegetable farming. Companies are addressing this through automation, robotisation and new sustainable short-chain distribution networks. In 2022 and 2023, there was a significant boom in vegetable sales through self-picking.
The Czech population faces ongoing challenges with nutrition. Poor diet is linked to up to a quarter of deaths, and obesity rates are above the EU average. However, there are also positive trends. Despite rising prices, vegetable consumption and interest in local foods are increasing. Rising food prices are also driving an increase in household vegetable growing, which reached 19% of production in 2022. Vegetable growing has the longest history in smaller settlements and rural areas. In cities, the demand for vegetables is mostly met by sales from farmyards on the outskirts, at farmers’ markets and box sales and from online shops.
Considerable progress has been made in preventing losses in the food chain and minimising food waste in the private and public sectors. In 2016, the Czech government adopted a regulation mandating that the market network donate food that does not meet all legislative requirements regarding food but is still safe to eat. This food is collected and distributed by food banks, supported by an annual national grant programme.
The energy system
Unlike many other European countries, Czechia has a historically strong industrial base with high energy intensity, primarily dependent on fossil fuels. However, in line with the shift towards climate neutrality and enhancing the country’s energy security, significant socio-technological and innovative changes are gradually occurring within the energy system.
The goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% compared with 1990 levels is expected to be achieved through supporting the development of renewable energy sources (RESs), increasing energy efficiency, phasing out fossil energy and using the EU Emissions Trading System effectively. Consequently, there is a declared plan to completely end coal mining and burning for electricity and heat production by 2033, replacing it with gas and, in the long term (by 2050), RESs and nuclear energy. The objectives are to increase the share of RESs in final energy consumption (FEC) to at least 30% and reduce FEC from the current value of 1 064 PJ to 846 PJ, meaning a reduction of approximately 20%. This will require an increase of at least 8 GW of installed solar capacity and 1.2 GW of installed wind capacity by 2030.
Other goals are to ensure competitiveness and increase energy efficiency across all sectors of the economy. Energy intensity in transport will be reduced, mainly by shifting freight and passenger transport to rail, strengthening public transport and increasing the use of alternative fuels and power, including through the addition of charging points. Improvements in energy efficiency are also expected in the building sector through renovation, insulation and more efficient heating, including through the transition to alternative heating methods, with financial support for low-income households. In the industrial sector, the focus will be on ensuring the efficient use of best available techniques, applying eco-design approaches, the effective use of waste heat, and maximising the use of municipal waste by increasing its energy utilisation. By 2035, the goal is to ensure 25% of municipal waste is used for energy production, while ensuring material utilisation reaches 65% and that secondary raw materials are used. In the public administration sector, the development of clean mobility is supported by the acquisition of electric vehicles, hydrogen vehicles and private charging stations. In addition, private charging stations for residential buildings are being subsidised. The energy intensity of new digital solutions – such as cloud infrastructure, advanced AI systems and data centres – also needs to be addressed.
To increase the decentralisation and democratisation of energy, as of 1 January 2024, it is possible to establish energy communities in Czechia, allowing the electricity produced to be shared using the existing distribution network with other delivery points.
The mobility system
Despite socioeconomic and technological developments, the mobility system in Czechia has not undergone significant structural changes in recent decades; however, it continues to build on historical development and expand capacity. Its structural shortcomings are primarily the dominant role of individual transport by car and the predominance of fossil fuel use.
Czechia has one of the oldest vehicle fleets (the average age of passenger cars is about 16 years) of the EU Member States and, at the same time, has one of the lowest shares of new, alternative-fuelled vehicles. Despite a significant year-on-year increase in the number of alternative-fuelled vehicles, battery electric vehicles accounted for just 0.6% of passenger cars (of a total of 6.7 million vehicles in Czechia) in mid 2025, while plug-in hybrid electric vehicles made up 0.4%. Czechia has nearly 6 200 public charging points, ranking 14th in the EU for the number of charging stations.
To address this, an Ecomobility call was launched in 2022–2023, targeting the public sector (municipalities, regions, non-governmental organisations, state enterprises) and supporting the purchase of electric vehicles, hydrogen vehicles and private charging stations. Over 1 500 vehicle purchases were supported from that call. On June 10, 2025, a follow-up call for the public sector was announced, now also including support for e-cargo bikes. In addition, subsidies are available for private charging stations in households and apartment buildings. From March to October 2024, a separate call was open for the business sector to support the purchase of electric vehicles, resulting in support for over 6,300 vehicles weighing up to 4.25 tons. Thanks to these subsidy programs, Czechia recorded a significant increase in registrations of electric vehicles in the first four months of 2025.
In the upcoming period towards 2030, the public sector will be supported (by the Modernisation Fund) in relation to activities for clean mobility, such as support for urban transport and alternative-powered trains, including refuelling infrastructure (hydrogen and locomotives with batteries for partially non-electrified tracks, which account for two thirds of railway lines).
The Social Climate Fund aims to support remote regions underserved by public transport and at risk of transport poverty by introducing electric vehicles to provide demand-responsive transport and encourage shared mobility solutions and cycling.
Additionally, a long-term plan is in place to modernise, develop and strengthen the capacity of Czech railways: plans for the high-speed lines have been prepared, which will significantly reduce travel times and make fast rail transport available to at least 75% of the Czech population. Construction work on the initial pilot sections is expected to start in 2025.
Energy consumption in transport is based on transport performance, which has been growing in Czechia for a long time. Measures leading to a reduction in energy consumption include the shift of freight transport from road to rail, motivated by the 2023 removal of fees in the rail transport sector for any electricity produced using RESs.
One way to consume less fossil-fuel-based energy is to replace it with energy from renewable sources (RESs). Thanks to legislative obligations introduced in 2020 and 2022, the share of RESs in transport has significantly increased, and first-generation biofuels have been partially replaced by advanced biofuels made from non-food biomass and waste.
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