Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Directive
The SEA Process
The SEA procedure is comparable to the EIA process.
- Screening
The screening of plans is done at the drafting stage in order to determine whether a SEA is required for the project or plan. The environmental authorities’ opinion is often binding.
- Scoping
This stage concerns the question of which issues should be addressed in the environmental report (Article 5 of the SEA Directive) and the assessment of reasonable alternatives. Annex I of the SEA Directive specifies the information to be contained in the environmental report. The report contains a non-technical summary in order to provide assistance for non-specialists in understanding the content and implications of the report. The Member States are obliged to ensure that environmental reports are of a sufficient quality. The environmental authorities’ opinion is also often binding.