Polluter Pays Principle in environmental law

Polluter Pays Principle in environmental law Abstract This diploma thesis deals with the legal principle "polluter pays", which is one of the most important and influential principles of environmental law. The aim was to present a theoretical view of this principle, to point out its meaning, function, development, but also its application in contemporary law, both at the international, European and national levels. The diploma thesis is divided into five chapters. The first chapter deals with the theoretical definition of legal principles, their importance in law in general, with emphasis on the legal principles of environmental law. In the second chapter I introduce and define the basic concepts, which I work with throughout the whole thesis. These concepts are the following terms: "environment", "polluter", "pollution", "environmental damage" and finally "environmental responsibility". The third chapter contains the core of this work - the function and meaning of the "polluter pays" principle, which is mainly the internalization of negative externalities into the polluter's costs. Furthermore, the third chapter describes the application of the principle in selected economic instruments of environmental protection. These are mainly taxes, subsidies, fees, fines and tradable emission permits. The last two..