PRACTICE AREA
Environmental Law
Environmental law is a fast-developing area, often intersecting with construction, administrative and civil law. At PRK we have the scale and experience needed to advise on both environmental issues and the whole range of related areas. We have worked on many large development projects, industrial investments and projects involving permitting procedures, energy units and other issues. We can address specific questions such as how best to deal with brownfield sites, protected areas and the conflict between environmental protection and mining activities. Furthermore, we regularly cooperate with leading technical experts from the field of environmental protection to offer a complete package of services.
Our legal services include:
- Legal advice on planning permission and building proceedings, in particular relating to environmental impact assessments (EIAs) and integrated permits (IPPCs)
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Legal advice on environmental issues relating to the client's activities, such as air, water and soil protection, nature and landscape protection, emissions permits and public health
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Legal advice on managing waste (including "e-waste"), legal obligations on waste producers, waste collection and recovery systems, and transboundary shipments of waste
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Legal advice on permitting and registration processes
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Assessing liability for environmental damage, including third-party liability for environmental damage and liability for pre-existing environmental conditions
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Performing due diligence and other audits for clients
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Addressing issues relating to access to environmental information
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Representing clients in administrative and related court proceedings, including representation before the European Commission regarding the implementation of EU directives and regulations and their implementation by the authorities
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Representing clients during inspections by authorities
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Representing clients before state funding bodies and dealing with related issues such as the use of grants, investment incentives and public contracts
A strong legal team on your side
References
We provide advisory services relating to real-estate projects that wish to draw on state funds to deal with environmental pollution. This requires an Environmental Agreement – a public agreement guaranteed by the state with respect to specific industrial or mining areas in connection with privatisation agreements.
We are providing comprehensive legal advice on a brownfield project to create a strategic industrial zone to be known as Barbora, near the town of Havirov in northern Moravia. The project involves structuring, permitting, and resolving various commercial and environmental issues, as the zone is located in a former mining area. Our mandate also includes advising on strategy and assisting with negotiations with the various parties involved, including state and local authorities, the owners of the land itself and the adjacent land and buildings, and various lessees.
We advised on the structuring, financing and completion of a successful redevelopment project for a brownfield site in the DUKLA industrial zone, a former black coal mine. The zone is more than 30 hectares in size. We drew up unique documentation and helped the client with the financing – the Czech Ministry of Finance is supporting the project through a specialised fund for the redevelopment of post-mining areas. The project was a contractual PPP project, the public sector being represented by the town of Havirov and the Czech Ministry of Finance.
We are providing comprehensive legal advice on the construction of an 80-hectare industrial park. Our mandate includes carrying out a legal assessment of appeals strategies and alternative solutions. In addition, we are advising the client on their efforts to have the energy supply to the industrial zone increased, including representing them in negotiations with energy suppliers.
We provided legal advice to a Japanese-German energy company with regard to the negotiation of an EPC Contract for the supply of a flue-gas desulphurisation absorber unit to Elektrárna Dětmarovice, a.s. – a black coal power plant – for a price of EUR 24.5 million.
