jurisdiction

1. Has the EmpCo Directive been implemented into national law?

No.

1.1 Has a draft implementing act already been published?

Yes. Bill amending the Consumer Protection Act and the Civil Code has been submitted to the House of Representatives on 8 December 2025 and is available at: https://www.psp.cz/sqw/historie.sqw?o=10&T=53

1.2 What is the expected timeline for transposition of the Directive?

Unknown, the Bill is at very early stage of legislative procedure. The originally anticipated effective date of 27 September 2026 is unlikely to be met, and effectiveness is expected later in Q4 2026.

1.3 Are any provisions envisaged exceeding the minimum harmonisation requirements, or specific deviations? Please specify.

No; however, the Bill is at very early stage of legislative procedure and may be subject to additional changes.

2. Have official guidelines, FAQs or interpretative guidance been issued by competent authorities or consumer protection bodies regarding the application of the EmpCo Directive?

Yes. The Ministry of Industry and Trade has published interpretative guidance on the upcoming implementation available at: https://mpo.gov.cz/cz/ochrana-spotrebitele/prehledne-o-ochrane-spotrebitele/nova-pravidla-_-environmentalni-tvrzeni-a-info-povinnosti--293928/

The guidance outlines the Ministry's interpretation of the proposed rules and provides practical examples of claims and practices that may be considered compliant or misleading. The Ministry has indicated that the guidance will be updated and expanded over time in response to stakeholder questions.

3. Are there any national or regional EN ISO 14024 type I ecolabelling schemes that substantiate a generic environmental claim as they demonstrate “recognised excellent environmental performance”?

Yes, in the Czech Republic, there is a National Programme for Labelling Environmentally Friendly Products and Services (‘Ekologicky šetrný výrobek‘ / ‘Ekologicky šetrná služba‘) which is governed by ČSN ISO 14024 (type I) and operates under rules issued by the Ministry of the Environment.

4. Which sanctions and enforcement mechanisms are available or envisaged (e.g. administrative fines, prohibition orders, injunctions, market bans, civil enforcement actions)?

The Bill does not propose a specific sanctioning regime for greenwashing.

Greenwashing will be subject to the general sanctioning regime applicable to unfair commercial practices. The use of an unfair commercial practice constitutes an administrative offence for which a fine of up to CZK 5,000,000 (approx. EUR 200,000) may be imposed, or up to 4% of the trader’s total annual turnover in connection with the application of Article 21 of Regulation (EU) 2017/2394 of the European Parliament and of the Council (if the annual turnover is not known, the fine may amount to up to CZK 50,000,000 (approx. EUR 2,000,000)).

Civil law remedies are also available to consumers, competitors and consumer or industry organisations.

5. Which authorities or institutions are competent for enforcement and supervision?

The Czech Trade Inspection Authority (CTIA) is the main authority responsible for enforcement. In sector-specific cases, competence may also lie with other supervisory authorities within their respective areas of jurisdiction.

6. Is there already specific case law on environmental claims and/or sustainability labels? 

No specific case law has been identified. We are aware of one case in which environmental claims were challenged and the court indicated that such claims may fall under the general regulation of unfair commercial practices. However, the proceedings ended for procedural reasons.