Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 March 2024
380. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on amending the strategic environmental assessment to link it to relevant Council of Europe Conventions. [9938/24]
View answerThe Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Directive, 2001/42/EC, is a process for the formal, systematic evaluation of the likely significant environmental effects of implementing a plan or programme, before a decision is made to adopt the plan or programme. The SEA Directive aims to provide for a high level of protection of the environment and to contribute to the integration of environmental considerations into the preparation and adoption of plans with a view to promoting sustainable development. The Council of Europe Conventions are not part of EU law on SEA. Amending the Directive is a matter for the European Commission.
The Irish SEA Regulations were made under the European Communities Act 1972 for the purpose of giving effect to the SEA Directive and have to be confined to what the Directive requires. In any event, SEA has a wide scope and already requires consideration of archaeological and architectural heritage and landscape.
The European Commission monitors the implementation of EU law under its Regulatory Fitness and Performance Programme (REFIT). Article 12 of the SEA Directive provides for a reporting and review mechanism, whereby the European Commission seeks information from Member States on the practical implementation of the Directive. This process enables the Commission to produce an implementation report under its REFIT process, which can inform decisions on potential future amendments to the SEA Directive. The Commission report was most recently published in 2017 and can be accessed at the link below:
eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?qid=1494874134751&uri=COM:2017:234:FIN
