WRITTEN QUESTION E-0792/01 by Rosa Miguélez Ramos (PSE) to the Commission. Minimum requisites for environmental impact assessments.
Date: 2001-03-13
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU environmental policy, environmental impact, impact study

C 340 E/94

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

4.12.2001

(2001/C 340 E/109)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0792/01

by Rosa MiguØlez Ramos (PSE) to the Commission

(13 March 2001)

Subject: Minimum requisites for environmental impact assessments

On a number of occasions it has been demonstrated that many environmental impact assessments do not
comply with the objectives originally sought when such studies were made compulsory for projects having
environmental implications. Some undertakings which are obliged to submit such studies consider them to
be a purely formal requirement (cid:129) something to be performed by themselves to pay lip-service to the rules.

What is the Commission(cid:146)s assessment of the real usefulness of environmental impact assessments?

Does the Commission consider that
introduced?

these studies are meeting the objectives for which they were

Does the Commission not believe that it should introduce a proposal on the minimum criteria for
environmental impact assessments, established in such a way as to ensure that they will no longer be
treated by many as a purely formal requirement?

Answer given by Mrs Wallstr(cid:246)m on behalf of the Commission

(14 May 2001)

The Environment impact assessment (EIA) Directive 85/337/EEC of the Council, of 27 June 1985 on the
assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment (1) has proved to be
a very successful
instrument of environmental protection focussing particularly on the precautionary
principle. Being a framework Directive, by its nature, it sets out minimum requirements which have to be
further specified and implemented by the Member States.

The EIA Directive is considered to be a procedural Directive which sets out main steps to be taken by
Member States in order to achieve its goal. These steps are the elaboration of an environmental report, the
involvement of the public and environmental authorities concerned, the taking into account of these
results in decision-making and the information about the decision to the players involved. In case of
transboundary impacts Member States likely to be significantly affected are involved on an equal footing in
the procedure following the international commitment of the United Nations/Economic Commission for
Europe (UN/ECE) Espoo Convention on transboundary environmental impact assessment.

In the cases known to the Commission the proper application of the EIA Directive has usually improved
the projects in question from an environmental perspective and given the public the opportunity to
participate and contribute in a satisfactory way.

Some deficiencies revealed in a report on the application and effectiveness of the EIA Directive 85/337/
EEC resulted in an improved Council Directive 97/11/EC of 3 March 1997 (2) amending the original
Directive. The success and the importance of this instrument is also proved by the fact that the existing
approach is being extended to the planning level above the project
level by the future (cid:145)Strategic
Environment Assessment(cid:146) (SEA) Directive on the assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes
on the environment (3).

(1) OJ L 175, 5.7.1985.
(2) OJ L 73, 14.3.1997.
(3) Amended proposal for a Council Directive on assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes on the

environment (OJ C 83, 25.3.1999).