Strategic Environmental Assessment in Flanders: A Slowly Growing Foetus

At this moment there is no SEA-legislation in Flanders. EIA is since 1989 implemented strictly on project level. EIA proceeds the licensing procedures of all projects described in Annex I and II of 85/337/ EEC. About 450 EIA procedures were executed in Flanders. An effectiveness study showed that project-level EIA can be useful in developing specific mitigation measures proposed in the EIA process. There is almost no place for ‘real’ alternatives. Our experience in Flanders stresses the need for implementing EIA on higher level decision-making, at least in planning infrastructure and land-use. SEA could also handle cumulative impact in planning e.g. industrial parks or large recreation areas. This need for SEA on this levels of decision-making is obvious for environmentalist and most planners (if they exist in Flanders), but quit controversial to initiators and politicians.