1
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ASSESSMENT
JUDr. Ilona Jančářová, Ph.D.
EIA
Environmental impact assessment (EIA) –
Procedure for comprehensive evaluating of the
likely impact of a proposed activity on the
environment
EIA
Convention on Environmental Impact
Assessment in a Transboundary Context
(Espoo 1991)
Protocol 2003 on Strategic Environmental
Impact Assessment - SEA (Kiev)
1998 Aarhus Convention
2
EIA
Aim - to apply this procedure to projects and
plans that could have a significant
transboundary impact on the environment
and to bring the parties concerned to
cooperation in this field.
Prevention principle
EIA
obligation of each party to ensure that the
EIA is undertaken prior to a decision to
authorize or undertake a proposed activity
listed in Appendix I that is likely to cause a
significant transboundary impact.
EIA
The EIA procedure applies to:
- certain projects (buildings, constructions,
technologies and other activities),
- plans, programmes and policies (SEA) and
- their changes.
3
EIA
EIA documentation should contain:
description of the proposed activity (project),
description of reasonable alternatives including the no-action alternative,
description of the environment likely to be significantly affected (including, in
particular, population, fauna, flora, soil, water, air, climatic factors, material
assets, including the architectural and archeological heritage, landscape and
the inter-relationship between the above factors),
description of a potential environmental impact of the proposed activity and
estimation of its significance (an estimate, by type and quantity, of expected
residues and emissions (water, air and soil pollution, noise, vibration, light,
heat, radiation, etc.) resulting from the operation of the proposed project,
description of mitigating measures to keep adverse environmental impact to a
minimum,
identification of gaps in knowledge and uncertainties encountered in compiling
the required information,
EIA
Public participation:
the requirement to give the opportunity to the
public in areas likely to be affected to
participate in the relevant EIA procedures
and the same opportunity for the public of the
Party concerned.
Public - one or more natural or legal persons
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
"public„ - natural or legal persons as well as
organizations
"the public concerned" - those who are affected or likely
to be affected by or having an interest in the
environmental decision-making. Non-governmental
organizations need only to promote environmental
protection and meet requirements under national law
to be the part of the "public concerned".
4
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
Convention on Access to Information, Public
Participation and Decision-Making and
Access to Justice in Environmental Matters
(Aarhus 1998)