Implementing the Public Participation Principle into Water Management in the Czech Republic: A Critical Analysis

Slavikova L. and Jilkova J. Implementing the public participation principle into water management in the Czech Republic: a critical analysis, Regional Studies. The public participation principle is currently an accented element of European Union environmental policy. It is believed that by involving local stakeholders into decision-making, environmental resources will be managed more successfully. The Water Framework Directive introduces the public participation principle into the water management of all Member States. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the implementation of this principle in the Czech Republic as a new Member State and also as a post-Socialist country with no previous experience of such a practice in water policy. The evaluation is based mainly on qualitative criteria proposed by former studies.