The Role of Civil Law in Environmental Protection: Liability, Damages, and Remedies from the Perspective of Slovakia

Marek ŠTEVČEK; Marek  IVANČO; Radovan  BLAŽEK

doi:10.21029/JAEL.2026.40.147

Marek ŠTEVČEK Prof., JUDr., DrSc, Full Professor, Comenius University in Bratislava, Faculty of Law https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8154-2375
Marek IVANČO Mgr., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Comenius University in Bratislava, Faculty of Law https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3347-3774
Radovan BLAŽEK Doc., JUDr., Ph.D., Associate Professor, Comenius University in Bratislava, Faculty of Law https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3091-3399

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21029/JAEL.2026.40.147

Absztrakt

The article examines how Slovak civil law can be mobilised as an instrument of environmental protection, distinct from but complementary to administrative and criminal enforcement. The article analyses the provisions of the Slovak Civil Code which can be invoked in a case of environmental damage. The analysis is also focused on the draft of the new Civil Code that is at present in legislative preparative work, and the current legislative state is compared with the new proposal. Procedurally, Slovakia’s representative-actions regime for consumers offers a workable chassis for aggregating environmentally linked harms (qualified entities, notice/opt-in, court-managed implementation) and can be adapted to restorative outcomes in environmental cases. The article closes with de lege ferenda thoughts for courts and legislators to align private-law remedies with ecological recovery and environmental justice.

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