Environmental impact assessment of projects : guidance on scoping (Directive 2011/92/EU as amended by 2014/52/EU)

In 2001, the European Commission published three EIA guidance documents concerning specific stages in the EIA process: screening, scoping, and environmental impact statement review. These documents have been updated and revised to reflect both the legislative changes brought about since the publication of the original guidance documents and the current state of good practice. The aim of the guidance documents is to provide practical insight to those who are involved during these stages in the EIA process, drawing upon experiences in Europe and worldwide. The screening and scoping EIA guidance documents aim to improve the decisions taken on the need for an EIA and the terms of reference on which the assessment is made. These two documents focus on getting the EIA process started well. The preparation of the EIA report guidance aims to help developers and consultants alike prepare good quality environmental impact assessment reports and to guide competent authorities and other interested parties as they review the reports. It focuses on ensuring that the best possible information is made available during decision-making.