Environmental Impact Assessment: Procedural and Institutional Questions

Abstract

This chapter presents an overview of procedural and institutional questions in environmental impact assessment (EIA). In most ECE member countries, there is general recognition that environmental considerations should be integrated into existing planning and decision-making processes, but the extent and form of integration is different in each country. The need for institutional structures to give support to the process of EIA has been pointed out. The way environmental assessments are made depends on the political and administrative structure in a given country. In some countries, EIA is done through legislative or administrative regulations. In others, it is introduced through integration into various planning systems. There is a trend to develop more comprehensive legislation covering environmental problems arising at the intersectoral level, while some countries have introduced specific legislation or have included provisions for environmental impact assessment within the existing regulations. Many countries are undertaking investigations on how best to proceed with EIA; some have adopted the idea of establishing a formal system of impact assessment, while others believe that the existing level of integration of EIA into decision-making and planning processes is sufficient.