OECD Environmental Performance Reviews: Slovak Republic 2024

Table of Contents

• Foreword 5
• Reader’s guide 9
• Basic statistics of the Slovak Republic 10
• Executive summary 11
• Slovakia has reduced some environmental pressures but faces challenges in several areas 11
• The country needs to step up its ambition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 11
• Climate is a priority of the recovery plan, but price support limits incentives to save energy 11
• Effective use of EU funds is key for green investment 12
• The green tax reform should be pursued 12
• Slovakia must scale up its efforts to halt and reverse biodiversity loss 12
• The protected area network is extensive but requires reform 12
• Slovakia has taken promising steps to align agriculture and forestry with biodiversity objectives, but challenges remain 13
• The land-use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) sector is a declining net carbon sink 13
• Assessment and recommendations 15
• 1. Towards sustainable development 16
• Addressing key environmental challenges 16
• Slovakia has made progress on decoupling 16
• The country needs to step up its ambition and efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 16
• Air pollution remains a health concern 18
• Further expanding wastewater treatment coverage is a challenge 18
• Slovakia is lagging on waste management 19
• Improving environmental governance and management 19
• Slovakia has a vision for sustainable development, but policy integration needs to go beyond the strategic level 19
• The effect of the reform of environmental assessment and permitting is uncertain 20
• Non-compliance with environmental legislation remains high 20
• Promoting investment and economic instruments for green growth 21
• Climate is a priority of the recovery plan, but price support limits incentives to save energy 21
• Effective use of EU funds is key for green investment 21
• The green tax reform should be pursued 22
• 2. Biodiversity and forests in the context of climate change 25
• Biodiversity status and trends 25
• Slovakia’s rich biodiversity is under threat 25
• Data and knowledge on biodiversity have improved, but gaps remain 26
• Legislative, strategic and institutional framework 27
• Slovakia has strengthened its biodiversity legislation 27
• Opportunities exist to reinforce and update the strategic framework for biodiversity 27
• ... and enhance resources required for implementing the strategic framework 27
• Protected areas 28
• Protected area network is extensive but has shortcomings 28
• Slovakia has launched a protected area reform and must shepherd it through to completion 28
• Mainstreaming of biodiversity 29
• Slovakia faces challenges aligning biodiversity and forestry interests, but is shifting towards more sustainable forestry models 29
• The common agricultural policy has not fulfilled its potential for Slovak’s biodiversity, but this looks to be changing 30
• Slovak’s energy transition must be consistent with climate and biodiversity commitments 32
• Biodiversity mainstreaming has progressed slowly for other sectors 32
• Climate change mitigation, adaptation and biodiversity 33
• Despite new policies, projections show Slovakia will fall short of its 2030 LULUCF target 33
• Slovakia has adopted a comprehensive strategic framework for adaptation 34
• Slovakia must harness synergies across biodiversity, climate adaptation and climate mitigation while managing potential trade-offs 34
• References 37
• Notes 42
• Annex 1. Actions taken to implement selected recommendations from the 2011 OECD Environmental Performance Review of the Slovak Republic 43
• Chapter 1. Towards sustainable development 47
• 1.1. Introduction 48
• 1.2. Addressing key environmental challenges 48
• 1.2.1. Slovakia has made some progress on decoupling 48
• 1.2.2. The economy is more carbon efficient, but the country is not on track net-zero emissions by 2050 49
• Slovakia is not on track to achieve its climate targets 49
• The energy mix is less reliant on fossil fuels 51
• Energy consumption has increased since the mid-2010s 52
• Climate risks in municipalities have been identified 53
• 1.2.3. Despite progress, air pollution remains an issue 53
• Slovakia has reduced major air pollutant emissions 53
• Air pollution remains a health concern 54
• 1.2.4. Further expanding wastewater treatment coverage is a challenge 56
• 1.2.5. Slovakia is lagging on waste management 57
• 1.3. Improving environmental governance and management 59
• 1.3.1. Slovakia has a vision for sustainable development, but policy integration needs to go beyond the strategic level 59
• 1.3.2. Environment-related responsibilities are fragmented 59
• 1.3.3. The effect of the reform of environmental assessment and permitting is uncertain 61
• 1.3.4. Non-compliance with environmental legislation remains high 62
• 1.4. Promoting investment and economic instruments for green growth 63
• 1.4.1. Climate is a priority of the recovery plan, but price support limits incentives to save energy 63
• The Recovery and Resilience Plan promotes the green transition 63
• Measures taken to respond to rising prices limit incentives to save energy 64
• 1.4.2. Effective use of EU funds is key for green investment 65
• Environmental investments are mainly financed by EU funds 65
• Using EU funds remains a challenge 66
• Management of the Environmental Fund has improved, but its resources are underused 68
• 1.4.3. The green tax reform should be pursued 68
• Slovakia has committed to strengthen green taxes 68
• Carbon prices are low and do not provide consistent incentives to cut GHG emissions 69
• The registration tax is greener, but road pricing could be extended 70
• Slovakia to end subsidies for coal-fired power generation 70
• References 72
• Notes 76
• Chapter 2. Biodiversity and forests in the context of climate change 77
• 2.1. Introduction 78
• 2.2. State, pressures and trends 78
• 2.2.1. State of Slovakia’s biodiversity 78
• 2.2.2. Pressures on biodiversity 80
• 2.2.3. Monitoring information and data 82
• 2.3. Strategic, legislative and institutional framework 82
• 2.3.1. Strategic framework: National goals, strategies and action plans for biodiversity 82
• 2.3.2. Legislative framework 85
• 2.3.3. Institutional framework 85
• Government 85
• Non-governmental organisations and the private sector 86
• International co-operation 86
• 2.4. Mainstreaming biodiversity into sectoral policies 86
• 2.4.1. Forestry 86
• 2.4.2. Agriculture 90
• 2.4.3. Energy 92
• Energy production 92
• Energy transmission 93
• 2.4.4. Infrastructure – transport, residential and industrial 94
• 2.4.5. Tourism 94
• 2.4.6. Other sectors 94
• 2.5. Instruments for biodiversity conservation and sustainable use 95
• 2.5.1. Protected areas 95
• Extent of protected areas 95
• Effectiveness of protected areas 97
• Protected area reform 98
• 2.5.2. Spatial and landscape planning 100
• 2.5.3. Economic instruments 101
• Compensatory payments for restrictions on management 101
• Forestry support for non-productive forest functions 101
• Forest land tax relief 102
• Protected area entrance fees and tourism taxes 102
• Levies on removing land from forest use or agricultural use 103
• Biodiversity offsets 103
• 2.5.4. Reform of harmful subsidies 104
• 2.5.5. Rescue and management programmes for endangered and protected species 104
• 2.5.6. Ecosystem service valuation and natural capital accounting 106
• 2.6. Biodiversity financing and innovation 107
• 2.6.1. Domestic financing 107
• 2.6.2. International biodiversity finance (development aid) 108
• 2.6.3. Research, development and innovation 109
• 2.7. The links between biodiversity, climate mitigation and climate adaptation policies 109
• 2.7.1. Climate mitigation and biodiversity – LULUCF -1
• LULUCF targets, measures and projections 111
• Mitigation in the land-use sector: addressing synergies and trade-offs 112
• 2.7.2. Climate change adaptation and biodiversity 112
• References 115
• Notes 119