Environmental Law Selected Aspects

The environment shapes and influences the living space of every individual. The paradox is that the quality of the environment is declining as a result of increasing levels of socioeconomic development, as the demand for natural resources rises. For this reason, it is essential to maintain a balance between environmental protection and societal development. One of the most effective tools for the state to regulate the behaviour of entities regarding environmental care is law. Therefore, there is an increasing emphasis on ensuring that entities understand their rights and obligations and can navigate the often-complex legal relationships. For this reason, the mission and primary goal of teaching the subject "Environmental Law" at the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra is to provide students with an optimal level of knowledge about the law in terms of its regulatory function in social relationships, as well as to reinforce and deepen their legal awareness concerning environmental care. It is therefore essential that the study of law focuses on understanding the content of legal norms and their application in practice. The presented university textbook aims to achieve this goal and provides students with fundamental knowledge of environmental law as a legal discipline. Since the university textbook is not primarily intended for law students, it offers in its introductory chapter general and comprehensive overview of law and its sources in the Slovak Republic and the European Union. It then defines general legal institutes of environmental law and specifies the entities involved in their care. In a special section dedicated to the legal regulation of specific components of the environment, the textbook particularly reflects on those components that are significant regarding the focus of the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra. The textbook is intended for all study programmes at the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, as well as for anyone interested in the study of environmental law. It also serves as a fundamental teaching text for other legal disciplines provided and taught by the Institute of Law of the Faculty of European Studies and Regional Development at SUA in Nitra.