Czech Republic

The Czech Republic ranks 49th in this year’s CCPI, placing it among the low performers. It receives a low rating in all four categories: GHG Emissions, Renewable Energy, Climate Policy, and Energy Use.

The CCPI national experts criticise that the country’s GHG emissions targets and strategies are usually non-binding, which hampers their legitimacy and makes full implementation less likely. There are no concrete measures in place to stop fossil fuel extraction or subsidies, though a coal phase-out is part of an energy policy still awaiting approval. The Czech government supports nuclear energy and advocates for slower decarbonisation. Progress has been made in updating key strategic policy documents for long-term GHG reduction and climate mitigation, including the Climate Protection Policy.

Some Policies Progressing, Though Stronger Targets Await Approval

While energy efficiency and renewables targets have been improved, they still await government approval. The CCPI experts do note that the government recently passed legislative changes to enable renewable energy sharing and speed up the construction of new wind power plants. The country has a legally binding mechanism for financial subsidies for renewable energy sources, and additional financial tools, such as grants and loans from the Modernisation Fund, have been launched since 2021. The experts observe that solar subsidies seem more efficient than with new wind plants. However, no transparent system is in place for ensuring that funds are not being used for fossil fuel projects fuels (such as gas).

Biomass is now the most frequent renewable energy source for heating, with usage increasing by over 50% from 2011 to 2021 and nearly tripling in the renewable heating sector. The burning of biomass has been linked to deforestation, land use conflicts, and significant carbon emissions. The Czech Republic also experienced severe bark beetle outbreaks in 2010 and again from 2015 to 2021, leading to mass harvesting and strengthened supply of cheap wooden biomass on the market.

In the agricultural sector, the country follows the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy and has a national mechanism of redistributing public subsidies. The CCPI experts criticise this subsidy system’s lack of transparency and the administrative challenges it creates, especially for smaller farmers.

Key Outcomes

CCPI Experts

The following national experts agreed to be mentioned as contributors for this year’s CCPI:

• Centum pro dopravu a energetiku (Centre for Transport and Energy)
• Jan Svoboda (AMO – Asociace pro mezinárodní otázky)