The Directive requires authorities to undertake an environmental assessment of certain plans and programmes which are likely to give rise to significant effects on the environment. The process of assessing plans and programmes is generally referred to as ‘strategic environmental assessment’ (SEA). It sets out standard procedures for undertaking an environmental assessment, and complements the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive 85/337/EC on the assessment of projects, by requiring an assessment, normally at an earlier stage than for projects, in the planning process.
- An introduction to EU environmental policy
- The EU institutions
- The EU agencies
- EU decision-making processes
- Environment in the Treaties
- The Sixth Environmental Action Programme and the Thematic Strategies
- The Sustainable Development Strategy, the Lisbon Strategy, and the Europe 2020 Strategy
- Environmental policy integration in the EU
- Environmental policy instruments
- Approaches to pollution control
- Implementation and enforcement of legislation
- International conventions
- Networking to support implementation
- Overview of EU policy: Air quality
- Air quality framework
- National emission ceilings
- Emissions from vehicles
- Volatile organic compounds from petrol
- Quality of petrol and diesel
- Sulphur content of certain liquid fuels
- Emissions and noise from pleasure boats
- Related legislation: Air quality
- International conventions and cooperation: Air quality
- Historical legislation: Lead in petrol
- Historical legislation: Nitrogen dioxide
- Historical legislation: Ozone
- Historical legislation: Smoke and sulphur dioxide
- Historical legislation: Exchange of information
- Historical legislation: Lead
- Overview of EU policy: Climate change
- Effort sharing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- Emissions trading
- Monitoring and limiting greenhouse gases
- CO from passenger cars
- Emission Performance Standards for Light Commercial Vehicles
- Energy taxation
- Fluorinated greenhouse gases
- Promotion of electricity from renewable sources
- Promotion of the use of biofuels or other renewable fuels for transport
- Promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources
- Combined heat and power
- Use of carbon capture and storage
- Energy end-use efficiency and energy services
- Energy performance of buildings
- Energy using products
- Energy labelling
- Intelligent Energy - Europe
- Adapting to climate change
- Related legislation: Climate change
- International conventions and cooperation: Climate change
- Overview of EU policy: Industrial pollution
- Industrial Emissions
- Integrated pollution prevention and control (IPPC)
- Major-accident hazards (COMAH)
- Large combustion plants
- Waste incineration
- Titanium dioxide
- Volatile organic compounds from industry
- Eco-management and audit (EMAS)
- The European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR)
- Related legislation: Industrial pollution
- International conventions: Industrial pollution
- Historical legislation in Emissions from industrial plants
- Historical legislation in Municipal waste incineration
- Historical legislation in Hazardous waste incineration
- Overview of EU policy: Water and marine
- Water Framework Directive
- Marine Strategy Framework Directive
- Groundwater
- Quality standards for water
- Urban waste water treatment
- Nitrates from agricultural sources
- Detergents
- Bathing water
- Drinking water
- Floods
- Water scarcity and droughts
- Oil pollution at sea
- Dangerous substances in water
- The Shellfish Waters Directive
- The Freshwater Fish (Fishlife) Directive
- The European Union Water Initiative
- Related legislation: Water and marine
- International conventions and cooperation: Water
- International conventions and cooperation: Marine
- Historical legislation: Surface water for drinking
- Historical legislation: Exchange of information
- Overview of EU policy: Waste
- Waste Framework Directive
- Shipment of waste
- Hazardous waste
- Landfill
- The Waste Statistics Regulation
- Mining Waste
- Ship-generated waste
- Disposal of waste oils
- Sewage sludge
- Disposal of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
- Related legislation: Waste
- International conventions and cooperation: Waste
- Overview of EU policy: Resource use
- Integrated Product Policy
- Sustainable Consumption and Production and Sustainable Industrial Policy (SCP-SIP) Action Plan
- Eco-labelling
- Packaging and packaging waste
- Batteries and accumulators
- End-of-life vehicles
- Waste electrical and electronic equipment
- Hazardous substances in electrical/electronic equipment (ROHS)
- Related legislation: Resource use
- International conventions and cooperation: Resource use
- Overview of EU policy: Chemicals
- Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH)
- Classification, labelling and packaging of chemical substances and mixtures
- Inland transport of dangerous goods
- Maritime transport of dangerous goods
- Export and import of dangerous chemicals
- Asbestos
- Substances depleting the ozone layer
- Authorization and marketing of plant protection products
- Maximum residue levels of pesticides
- Sustainable use of pesticides
- Authorization and marketing of biocides
- Safety standards for radiation
- Shipment of radioactive substances and waste
- Emergency food protection
- Related legislation: Chemicals
- International conventions and cooperation: Chemicals (hazardous substances and pesticides)
- International conventions and cooperation: Chemicals (radioactivity)
- Historical legislation: Restrictions on the marketing and use of certain dangerous substances and preparations
- Historical legislation: Testing existing chemicals
- Historical legislation: Screening for lead
- Overview of EU policy: Biodiversity
- Birds and their habitats
- Habitats and species conservation
- Trade in endangered species (CITES)
- Genetically modified micro-organisms: Contained use
- Genetically modified organisms: Deliberate release
- Genetically modified organisms: Food and feed
- Genetically modified organisms: Traceability and labelling
- Genetically modified organisms: Transboundary movements
- Related legislation: Biodiversity policy
- Biodiversity: International conventions and cooperation
- Historical legislation: Whales
- Overview of EU policy: Noise
- Assessment and management of noise
- Cars, buses, lorries and trains
- Motorcycles
- Tractors
- Aircraft
- Outdoor equipment
- Noise in the workplace
- Household appliances
- Related legislation: Noise
- Historical legislation: Outdoor equipment
- Overview of EU policy: Supporting policy
- Environmental impact assessment
- Strategic environmental assessment
- Environmental crime
- Public participation
- Access to information
- Environmental liability
- Access to Community institutions and bodies
- Environmental inspections
- Historical legislation: Information on the state of the environment (CORINE)
- Historical legislation: Environmental statistics
- Overview of EU policy: Funding instruments
- Structural and Cohesion Funds
- LIFE+
- European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development
- European Fisheries Fund
- Civil Protection from Disasters
- European Union Solidarity Fund
- The Seventh Research and Technology Development Framework Programme
- The Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme
- Sectoral policies key to the environment
- Agriculture
- Land degradation and protection
- Forestry
- Fisheries
- Maritime policy
- Energy
- Transport
- Trade
- International development
- Proposed policy developments
- Anticipated policy developments
- Index of legislation
Strategic environmental assessment
- Journal:
- Manual of European Environmental Policy
- ISSN:
- 1467-0445
- E-ISSN:
- 1740-3529
- Publisher:
- Routledge,
- DOI:
- 10.3763/meep.2010.0158
- Author:
- Institute for European Environmental Policy
- Information last updated:
- December 2011
- Publication date:
- December 2011
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- An introduction to EU environmental policy
- The EU institutions
- The EU agencies
- EU decision-making processes
- Environment in the Treaties
- The Sixth Environmental Action Programme and the Thematic Strategies
- The Sustainable Development Strategy, the Lisbon Strategy, and the Europe 2020 Strategy
- Environmental policy integration in the EU
- Environmental policy instruments
- Approaches to pollution control
- Implementation and enforcement of legislation
- International conventions
- Networking to support implementation
- Overview of EU policy: Air quality
- Air quality framework
- National emission ceilings
- Emissions from vehicles
- Volatile organic compounds from petrol
- Quality of petrol and diesel
- Sulphur content of certain liquid fuels
- Emissions and noise from pleasure boats
- Related legislation: Air quality
- International conventions and cooperation: Air quality
- Historical legislation: Lead in petrol
- Historical legislation: Nitrogen dioxide
- Historical legislation: Ozone
- Historical legislation: Smoke and sulphur dioxide
- Historical legislation: Exchange of information
- Historical legislation: Lead
- Overview of EU policy: Climate change
- Effort sharing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- Emissions trading
- Monitoring and limiting greenhouse gases
- CO from passenger cars
- Emission Performance Standards for Light Commercial Vehicles
- Energy taxation
- Fluorinated greenhouse gases
- Promotion of electricity from renewable sources
- Promotion of the use of biofuels or other renewable fuels for transport
- Promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources
- Combined heat and power
- Use of carbon capture and storage
- Energy end-use efficiency and energy services
- Energy performance of buildings
- Energy using products
- Energy labelling
- Intelligent Energy - Europe
- Adapting to climate change
- Related legislation: Climate change
- International conventions and cooperation: Climate change
- Overview of EU policy: Industrial pollution
- Industrial Emissions
- Integrated pollution prevention and control (IPPC)
- Major-accident hazards (COMAH)
- Large combustion plants
- Waste incineration
- Titanium dioxide
- Volatile organic compounds from industry
- Eco-management and audit (EMAS)
- The European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR)
- Related legislation: Industrial pollution
- International conventions: Industrial pollution
- Historical legislation in Emissions from industrial plants
- Historical legislation in Municipal waste incineration
- Historical legislation in Hazardous waste incineration
- Overview of EU policy: Water and marine
- Water Framework Directive
- Marine Strategy Framework Directive
- Groundwater
- Quality standards for water
- Urban waste water treatment
- Nitrates from agricultural sources
- Detergents
- Bathing water
- Drinking water
- Floods
- Water scarcity and droughts
- Oil pollution at sea
- Dangerous substances in water
- The Shellfish Waters Directive
- The Freshwater Fish (Fishlife) Directive
- The European Union Water Initiative
- Related legislation: Water and marine
- International conventions and cooperation: Water
- International conventions and cooperation: Marine
- Historical legislation: Surface water for drinking
- Historical legislation: Exchange of information
- Overview of EU policy: Waste
- Waste Framework Directive
- Shipment of waste
- Hazardous waste
- Landfill
- The Waste Statistics Regulation
- Mining Waste
- Ship-generated waste
- Disposal of waste oils
- Sewage sludge
- Disposal of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
- Related legislation: Waste
- International conventions and cooperation: Waste
- Overview of EU policy: Resource use
- Integrated Product Policy
- Sustainable Consumption and Production and Sustainable Industrial Policy (SCP-SIP) Action Plan
- Eco-labelling
- Packaging and packaging waste
- Batteries and accumulators
- End-of-life vehicles
- Waste electrical and electronic equipment
- Hazardous substances in electrical/electronic equipment (ROHS)
- Related legislation: Resource use
- International conventions and cooperation: Resource use
- Overview of EU policy: Chemicals
- Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH)
- Classification, labelling and packaging of chemical substances and mixtures
- Inland transport of dangerous goods
- Maritime transport of dangerous goods
- Export and import of dangerous chemicals
- Asbestos
- Substances depleting the ozone layer
- Authorization and marketing of plant protection products
- Maximum residue levels of pesticides
- Sustainable use of pesticides
- Authorization and marketing of biocides
- Safety standards for radiation
- Shipment of radioactive substances and waste
- Emergency food protection
- Related legislation: Chemicals
- International conventions and cooperation: Chemicals (hazardous substances and pesticides)
- International conventions and cooperation: Chemicals (radioactivity)
- Historical legislation: Restrictions on the marketing and use of certain dangerous substances and preparations
- Historical legislation: Testing existing chemicals
- Historical legislation: Screening for lead
- Overview of EU policy: Biodiversity
- Birds and their habitats
- Habitats and species conservation
- Trade in endangered species (CITES)
- Genetically modified micro-organisms: Contained use
- Genetically modified organisms: Deliberate release
- Genetically modified organisms: Food and feed
- Genetically modified organisms: Traceability and labelling
- Genetically modified organisms: Transboundary movements
- Related legislation: Biodiversity policy
- Biodiversity: International conventions and cooperation
- Historical legislation: Whales
- Overview of EU policy: Noise
- Assessment and management of noise
- Cars, buses, lorries and trains
- Motorcycles
- Tractors
- Aircraft
- Outdoor equipment
- Noise in the workplace
- Household appliances
- Related legislation: Noise
- Historical legislation: Outdoor equipment
- Overview of EU policy: Supporting policy
- Environmental impact assessment
- Strategic environmental assessment
- Environmental crime
- Public participation
- Access to information
- Environmental liability
- Access to Community institutions and bodies
- Environmental inspections
- Historical legislation: Information on the state of the environment (CORINE)
- Historical legislation: Environmental statistics
- Overview of EU policy: Funding instruments
- Structural and Cohesion Funds
- LIFE+
- European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development
- European Fisheries Fund
- Civil Protection from Disasters
- European Union Solidarity Fund
- The Seventh Research and Technology Development Framework Programme
- The Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme
- Sectoral policies key to the environment
- Agriculture
- Land degradation and protection
- Forestry
- Fisheries
- Maritime policy
- Energy
- Transport
- Trade
- International development
- Proposed policy developments
- Anticipated policy developments
- Index of legislation