Sustainability and Competition Law in Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is a member of the United Nations (UN), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) as well as the European Union (EU). The Czech law shares the continental law tradition and reflects the international and regional commitments and obligations of the Czech Republic, including the call for sustainable development. Namely, the concept of sustainability projected on the responsibility of all stakeholders, including businesses—see corporate social responsibility (CSR)—is recognized in the Czech Republic, and its application in various spheres is expected. Indeed, sustainability rests on three pillars—economic, environmental and social—and all three need to be met while their objectives should be advanced simultaneously, if not synergistically, i.e. there should not be trade-offs. At the same time, it must be emphasized that the Czech Republic is not a pro-sustainability force par excellence and rather follows than leads these trends in the EU. These follow-ups are sometimes more and sometimes less enthusiastic, generally on time, but occasionally a national resistance can be identified.