Strategic Environmental Assessment

Introduction to SEA

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is a process used to allow early consideration of the potential environmental effects which may occur as a result of decision-making (via policies, plans and programmes).

Within the European Union, SEA is governed by European Directive 2001/42/EC on the assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes on the environment; more commonly known as the SEA Directive. In addition, some states may be signatory to the SEA Protocol to the UNECE Convention on EIA in a Transboundary Context. This SEA Protocol applies to all signatory states, which may be European or otherwise. Both the SEA Directive and SEA Protocol require SEA at the plan and programme level, but not at the policy level.

Generally, the steps of SEA are as follows:

• Screen to see if an SEA is necessary;
• Investigate the scope of issues to be considered;
• Assess alternatives (and avoid, minimise, mitigate and compensate for negative effects);
• Report the SEA findings and conduct a review;
• Approve the SEA and make any relevant decisions; and
• Establish environmental implementation guidelines, and monitor for environmental impacts.

The International Association for Impact Assessment also describes several principles of SEA:

• Rigorous and credible;
• Practical and relevant;
• Cost effective and efficient;
• Focused yet adaptive;
• Participatory and transparent;
• Inter-disciplinary;
• Integrated; and
• Systematic.

There are many useful sources of information on SEA. A small selection are shown here:

• SEA Directive http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eia
• UN-ECE Protocol on SEA http://www.unece.org/env/eia/welcome.html
• SEA-Wiki http://sea.unu.edu/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
• Gateway to SEA information htt://www.sea-info.net
• SEA open educational resource http://sea.unu.edu
• IEMA 'reading room' http://www.iema.net/readingroom/c175
• IIED resources http://www.iied.org/Gov/spa/index.html
• World Bank http://www.worldbank.org/eapenvironment/sea-asia

There are also several books on the topic of SEA, including:

• B. Sadler, R. Aschemann, J. Dusik, T. Fischer, M. Partidário and R. Verheem (due out in January 2008) Handbook of Strategic Environmental Assessment. James & James/Earthscan, ISBN 1844073653.
• B. Dalal-Clayton and B. Sadler (2005) Strategic Environmental Assessment: A sourcebook and reference guide to international experience. James & James/Earthscan, ISBN 1844071782.
• R. Therivel (2004) Strategic Environmental Assessment in action. James & James/Earthscan, ISBN 1844070417.
• M. do Rosário Partidário and R. Clark (2000) Perspectives on Strategic Environmental Assessment. CRC Press, ISBN 1566703603.

What is this study about?

This study fulfils Work Package II.2 - Research of European experiences with Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). The objective of the study was to analyse European experiences of SEA, specifically in the transport and energy sectors, in order to transfer learning from these experiences to the Chinese local context. The study was completed as a literature review which investigated SEA legislation and regulations, law enforcement, organisational arrangements, limits of functions and powers, and organisational capacity for SEA in various European countries. Using case studies and available literature, the study team then determined a number of recommendations for SEA of transport and energy in China.

International experience

SEA practices differ from country to country. This table gives a brief summary of SEA experience around the world, it is not intended as a comprehensive global overview of SEA.

European experience

Summary text and table of European experience SEA requirements for European Union states are outlined in European Directive 2001/42/EC on the assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes on the environment (the ‘SEA Directive’).

Non-Member states of the EU will of course have their own requirements for SEA, which may be either voluntary or mandatory depending on legislative requirements. Some states may be signatory to the SEA Protocol to the UNECE Convention on EIA in a Transboundary Context (signed at Kiev in 2003), which is also open to states outside the UNECE region (IIED, 2004). Once in force, the SEA Protocol will require states to evaluate the environmental consequences of their official draft plans and programmes. Like the SEA Directive, the SEA Protocol also provides for extensive public participation in government decision-making (UNECE, 2007). To date the SEA Protocol has been ratified by Albania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany and Sweden (UNECE, 2007).

SEA experience in Europe varies widely, with more experience found in western European countries. SEA was commonly carried out in an ad hoc manner (although this is now changing), and is often confined to land-use and transport plans (EEA, 2003). Many countries cite lack of guidance as a barrier to successfully implementing the legal and administrative requirements of SEA (EEA, 2003). With the advent of the SEA Directive and Protocol, SEA experience is likely to increase substantially over the next decade.