Strategic Environmental Assessment in Europe: Fourth European Workshop on Environmental Impact Assessment (Environmental Science and Technology Library Book 14)

SEA, in particular, one study which dealt with the I. WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES AND development of an overall research strategy for FINDINGS - INTRODUCTION EIAISEA. 2 On 4th December 1996, the Commission Volker Kleinschmidt & Dieter Wagner, passed a "Proposal for a Council Directive on the PRO TERRA TEAM GmbH / Stadt-und Assessment of the Effects of Certain Plans and Regionalplanung Dr. Paul G. Jansen) Programmes on the Environment". 3 Finally, after years of negotiations, there is a proposal for a SEA Directive which now has to be discussed within the institutions of the European Union and its Member States. The scope of the Potsdam workshop covers 1. INTRODUCTION Strategic Environmental Assessment for decisions above the project level, Le. for plans, programmes and policies. The principal tasks of the workshop Since 1990, the Directorate General XI of the were: European Commission has supported and co­ • to specify current SEA-related methodologies and ordinated several international expert meetings in procedures, to identify major deficiencies and to the field of "Environmental Impact Assessment". propose means of overcoming these, The participants of these meetings were drawn from • to identify constraints to SEA implementation in ministries, different branches of public administra­ the Member States and means of overcoming tion, EIA-Centres and research institutes. The par­ these constraints, ticipants coming from different backgrounds ensured • to identify SEA research and training needs, intensive, interdisciplinary discussions. The previous training methods and means of implementing workshops have focused on the following topics: these. Front Matter....Pages I-2 Workshop Objectives and Findings — Introduction....Pages 3-9 Findings and Recommendations of the Working Groups....Pages 11-18 Front Matter....Pages 19-19 The Proposal for a Directive on Strategic Environmental Assessment for Certain Plans and Programmes....Pages 20-24 Support Actions by the European Commission on SEA....Pages 25-26 SEA in the European Union: Some Issues and Proposals....Pages 27-30 A Proposal for the Development and Implementation of an Overall Strategy for SEA Research in the EU....Pages 31-36 Environment and the Structural Funds — Improving Evaluation and Monitoring....Pages 37-39 Development of SEA for the Trans-European Transport Network (Ten) and Its Corridors....Pages 40-46 Strategic Environmental Assessment — Austrian SEA Study....Pages 47-51 Environmental Assessment in Belgium (Walloon Region)....Pages 52-54 Strategic Environmental Assessment in Flanders: A Slowly Growing Foetus....Pages 55-58 Strategic Environmental Assessment in Denmark....Pages 59-61 Danish Experience with SEA in Policy-Making....Pages 62-69 Strategic Environmental Assessment in Finland....Pages 70-71 SEA Research in Finland....Pages 72-74 Strategic Impact Appraisal in France: For a Better Use of Our Experience with Environmental Impact Assessment....Pages 75-79 Strategic Environmental Assessment for Transportation in France....Pages 80-85 Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment in Land Use Planning: The Erlangen Case Study....Pages 86-89 Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment in Germany with a Special Focus on the State of Brandenburg....Pages 90-96 Development of Environmental Quality Objectives for the German-Dutch Border Region....Pages 97-101 Front Matter....Pages 19-19 Brief Overview on Sea in Greece....Pages 102-102 Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and the Decision Makers or “Homo Politicus”....Pages 103-104 Developments in Strategic Environmental Assessments in Ireland....Pages 105-108 Some Information on Strategic Environmental Assessment in Italy....Pages 109-112 The Dutch Approach: Carrot and Stick....Pages 113-118 Strategic Environmental Assessment in Portugal....Pages 119-121 SEA in Spain....Pages 122-124 SEA Methodology and Research in Spain: Opportunities and Restraints....Pages 125-127 Overview of SEA in Sweden....Pages 128-130 Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) in Sweden — Approaches, Methodology, Application, and Research....Pages 131-135 Strategic Environmental Assessment within Canada’s Memorandum to Cabinet Procedure: Some Personal Reflections....Pages 136-141 Strategic Environmental Assessment in the Czech Republic....Pages 142-146 Strategic Environmental Assessment in Norway....Pages 147-149 Strategic Environmental Assessment in Norway....Pages 150-155 Institutional Strenghtening of the EIA System in Poland....Pages 156-162 Introduction of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) in Hungary....Pages 163-165 Back Matter....Pages 166-175 This book consists of papers and final recommendations on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), presented at the 4th European EIA Workshop which was held from 29 May to 1 June 1997 in Potsdam, Germany. The main objectives of this workshop were to specify current SEA-related methodologies and procedures, and to identify major deficiencies; to identify constraints on SEA implementation in the Member States; and to identify SEA research and training needs and methods. The book contains contributions on recent SEA research developments and covers a wide range of topics, including a contribution from the European Commission on SEA developments in the EU, with a proposal for a council directive on the assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes on the environment. Other papers, particularly from the Federal Environmental Ministries of the EU Member States, deal with SEA legislation and procedures in the European Community, an Austrian SEA study, EIA/SEA for structural funds and the development of environmental quality objectives, the Erlangen case study on SEA in land use planning, and SEA research strategy in Europe. The discussion is not limited to SEA for plans and programmes but also includes environmental assessment for policies, for instance the Danish experience with SEA in policy-making, environmental assessment of policies in The Netherlands, and inclusion of environmental considerations into Ministerial Recommendations for Cabinet's decisions by the Federal Government in Canada. The book shows that SEA is already part of some sectoral planning procedures within the Member States, mostly for land use planning. It is acknowledged to be a valuable instrument for including environmental considerations early in the planning process. There may be methodological, procedural or political constraints on implementation of SEA at all planning levels, but they can be overcome by practice and research. Audience: Environmental professionals, whether academic, governmental or in the private consultancy sector