Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) are key tools in environmental policy making. The EIA procedure evaluates the likely environmental impacts of a proposed project or development, containing seven steps in total. Whilst the SEA procedure is similar, it goes even deeper and provides recommendations at a strategic level, allowing for better control over decision-making by supporting the relevant authorities responsible for the environment. In the last EPRs of Montenegro and Serbia, it was noted that both the EIA and SEA procedures could be improved for both countries. As such, the UNECE has given further support by providing a set of recommendations related to climate change impacts and concerns and these procedures.
The third EPRs of Montenegro and Serbia gave recommendations on climate change adaptation into sectoral policies and strategies. This is especially important for both countries, having ratified the Paris Agreement and preparing National Climate and Energy Plans in accordance with their obligations under the Athens Agreement on the Energy Community and the process of EU integration. In this regard, support in the field of EIA and SEA are important for integrating climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning. UNECE guidance provided an overview of legislation in the field of EIA and SEA to analyse the level at which climate change has been addressed, in order to recommend how to harmonise national legislation with EU legislation.
This regional project aims to strengthen not only the EIA and SEA procedures in Montenegro and Serbia, but also to strengthen regional cooperation in sharing best practices. As such, these guidelines can serve a similar purpose in other countries in the region to support environmental regulation and mitigate and adapt to climate change.