Seminar on
Strategic Environmental Assessment and Development Plan Making
20 February 2009, Agricultural Research Institute
Dear all,
I would like to welcome you at this seminar that aims to analyse the Strategic
Environmental Assessment Law in relation to the Development Plan Making in order
to ensure that environmental consequences of development plans are identified and
assessed during their preparation and before their adoption in 2010.
The EC Directive 2001/42/EC on strategic environmental assessment has been
transposed into the Cyprus legislation by the Law 102(I)/2005 “Assessment of
impacts on the environment from certain plans and/or programmes”, which came into
effect as from 29 July 2005. The purpose of the Law is to achieve a high level of
protection of the environment and to integrate environmental issues in the
preparation and before approval of plans and/or programmes. The Environmental
Authority is defined in the relevant law as the Environment Service of the Ministry of
Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment.
The Environment Service has both advisory and executive roles. Firstly, it advises
the Competent Authorities whether studies for the assessment of the environmental
impacts for proposed plans and /or programmes are required and / or on the content
and the format of the studies to be submitted. Secondly, it decides on the opinions to
be conveyed to the Competent Authorities for proposed plans and / or programmes
after taking into account the positions and the suggestions of the members of the
Committee established by the law for the Assessment of the Environmental Impacts
for Plans / Programmes.
Consultation with the authorities and the public is one of the main stages of the
strategic environmental assessment procedure, as this will contribute to more
transparent planning by integrating environmental considerations. In accordance with
the Law, the Competent Authority undertakes consultations with every public
enterprise, local authority, government service or public organisation which on the
basis of its special environmental responsibilities is likely to be interested in the
impacts on the environment of the plan and / or programme. Their opinion and all
results are integrated and taken into account in the course of the planning procedure.
For town planning development plans the period starting the consultation and ending
the publication of the development plan is up to four months subject to certain
conditions. After the adoption of the plan or programme the public is informed about
the decision and the way in which it was made.
SEA Law is interrelated with other laws like, the Environmental Impact Assessment
Law on certain projects, the Habitats Law on protection and management of nature
and wild life and the Seveso Directive on preventing the major accident hazards
involving dangerous substances in chemical industries.
Even though strategic environmental assessment has generated a large amount of
professional and general interest, the extent of its application and its overall quality
have largely remained unidentified. There is a lack of a common understanding of
what makes an assessment a strategic environmental assessment. To help
understand recent practice better, this seminar will elaborate the provisions of the
relevant laws and the practical aspects of their implementation in Cyprus. Two
consultants were invited to enhance our knowledge on integration of the SEA and
planning process, by focusing on case studies at local and national level. It is with
great honour that I welcome Mr Ric Eales and Mr Owen White who accepted our
invitation of being with us at the seminar.
Director of the Environment Service
20 February 2009