Abstract
Some of the countries of Central Europe have undergone a dramatic transition in all spheres since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. In this paper, we focus on the development of environment-related phenomena in the Czech Republic and in some other CE countries.
Quite similar features can be recognized in other countries of the former Soviet Bloc that are now members of the European Union. These countries, based on a common history and thein present interests, were motivated by the desire to eliminate remnants of communist rule.
Despite the dreadful shared legacy of the totalitarian period, these countries have made great efforts in a number of fields of common interest (including environmental protection) guided by the notion of catching up with the more developed Western countries. And they have achieved remarkable results in their approximation to Western Europe .