The Slovak Republic adopted the Declaration on the Environment and Development and Agenda 21 (Rio de Janeiro, 1992) by Resolution of the Government of the SR No. 118 from September 8^th 1992.The Strategy, Principles and Priorities of the State Environmental Policy (SŠEP) has been adopted by the Government of the SR by Resolution No. 619 from September 7^th 1993 and unanimously by the NR SR on November 18^th 1993 (Resolution No. 339/1993).
 

The five priorities of the State Environmental Policy:

1. global environmental safety and protection of the atmosphere against pollutants,
2. an adequate supply of drinking water and reduction of water pollution to acceptable levels,
3. soil conservation and purity of foodstuffs and other products,
4. proper disposal or utilisation of waste and minimisation of its production,
5. preservation of biodiversity, conservation and rational use of natural resources, and optimisation of land use.

The ten principles of the State Environmental Policy:

1. preferring preventive to corrective measures,
2. implementation of the environmental policy in all sectors of the economy and involved third sector organisations,
3. approaching environmental problems as economic problems of society,
4. realisation that the present generation bears the responsibility for the environment for future generations,
5. comprehensive solution of environmental problems by the systematic removal of the synergistic effects of existing and future pollutants and other negative factors,
6. polluter pay-principle,
7. when modifying the environment, assessment of the influences and impacts on human health, the landscape, individual components of the environment and endangered species, and consideration of the priceless value of the natural and cultural heritage and its non-renewable natural resources,
8. considering environmental protection a fundamental condition for stopping the unfavourable development in the health of the population,
9. implementation of an attitude to forests as the primary factor of ecological stability in the landscape and to soil as a component of the environment which is conditional for biodiversity, nutrition and the existence of life,
10. respecting life, in all its forms, and respecting all natural and cultural values.

Objectives of the SŠEP and NEAP measures by themes
 

Theme	Objectives			Measures	Estimated financial
	D	S	K		costs (in thousands of Sk)
A. Protection of atmosphere and ozone layer	5	5	6	307	42 322 660
B. Protection and rational utilisation of water	3	15	7	434	20 355 584
C. Waste management	3	13	13	233	7 968 760
D. Risk factors and nuclear safety	5	2	9	48	2 029 774
E. Conservation of nature and the landscape,	8	11	15	187	11 979 980
and territorial planning
F. Protection and rational utilisation of the mineral	2	9	5	67	17 555 190
environment, soil and forests
G. Environmental economics	1	1	10	25	38 961
H. Environmental informatics	1	1	1	10	15 600
and monitoring
I. Environmental education and publicity	1	1	1	21	34 910
J. Organisation and environmental protection management	4	1	3	26	8 900
10 themes	33	59	70	1 358	102 311 319
	162				excluding foreign assistance

• D –long-term (strategic) objectives (to 2010 - 2030)
• S – medium-term objectives (to 2000 - 2010) – detailed in the NEAP for the years 1998 - 2005/ 2010
• K – short-term objectives (to 1996)