Evaluation of Environmental Impact Assessment Framework Effectiveness

Abstract

In 2011, Greece reformed its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) system publishing law 4014/2011 on the assessment of effects of certain public and private projects on the environment. However, six years since its issuing, no systematic evaluation has taken place to establish whether this legislative reform achieved its aims. In this paper, the results of an extensive EIA system effectiveness evaluation study which makes use of data from the first ever Greek EIA National Survey, additional in-depth interviews and a quality review of over 100 EIA statements are presented. The methodology involved an exhaustive legislative review juxtaposing the EU and Greek legislative provisions. Furthermore, in order to more holistically evaluate the effectiveness of the EIA system, a National survey was conducted, involving key EIA stakeholders (EIA Specialists and regional Environmental Authorities, as well as in the ministry officials). The results of the study highlight serious issues with the Greek EIA System depicting a chasm between new legal provisions and implementation in practice. The most significant weaknesses are located in the Alternatives, Non-technical Summary and Mitigation measure categories. It should be highlighted that the most significant reason for the insufficiency of the EIA system according to stakeholders is the fact that the supporting tools prescribed in the legislation (e.g. Electronic Environmental Registry) have not yet been activated.