State Environmental Fund of the Czech Republic (Statni Fond Zivotniho Prostredí Ceske Republiky)

The State Environmental Fund of the Czech Republic as a specifically focused institution provides direct financial support through subsidies and indirect financial support through loans or contributions towards interest on loans. The Fund primarily co-finances projects to improve quality of water, air, waste management, protection of nature and the countryside, environmental education, utilisation of renewable energy sources and measures to improve the energy performance of buildings. The State Environmental Fund of the Czech Republic grants financial aid through subsidies, soft loans or a combination of both. The Fund obtains the financial resources from the state budget and from polluters. Polluters pay fees for discharges of wastewater, for land reclassification, air pollution fees and fees levied under the Waste Act. From these resources, the Fund provides financial support in the National Programme Environment. The Fund is also responsible for administering funds from the EU Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund in the environmental sector in the Czech Republic as well as from the New Green Savings Programme which is financed from a share in the yields from the emission allowances’ auctions on the European market (EUA and EUAA).