Public Expenditure on Environmental Protection in the European Union Countries

The main objective of the paper was to show the level of public spending on environmental protection in the European Union countries. All European Union member states were selected for research purposefully. The research period concerned the years 2005-2017. The sources of materials were EUROSTAT data, literature of the subject. For the analysis and presentation of materials, descriptive, tabular and graphical methods, constant basis dynamics indicators, Gini concentration coefficient, concentration analysis using the Lorenz curve, density diagram (nuclear estimator), Pearson's linear correlation coefficients were used. Public spending on environmental protection is gradually becoming more and more accepted by the government, as evidenced by their systematic growth. There was a very high concentration of this type of expenditure in several EU countries. The first four countries were the largest economically, namely France, Germany, Great Britain and Italy. The importance of spending on environmental protection in national budgets was low, however, there were differences between countries. In this case, the level of economic development was not decisive. A significant relationship was found between the economic situation of the country and the value of public expenditure on environmental protection. On the other hand, parameters per person were not suitable for determining interdependencies. The wealth of the society was not a decisive factor in the amount of support. In many countries, spending on environmental protection is an element of policy. Rulers are more likely to use public funds for purposes that give more visible effects and are economically effective.