Jurisdiction(s):
European Union

Key definition

Environmental impact assessment definition

What does Environmental impact assessment mean? An environmental impact assessment (EIA) is the statutory process used in planning and other consenting regimes to identify, evaluate and mitigate the likely significant effects of a proposed project on the environment before planning permission or other development consent is granted. It is defined in legislation: in England and Wales by the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017 (with sectoral EIA regimes, including for nationally significant infrastructure and marine works); in Scotland by the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations 2017; in Northern Ireland by the Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations (Northern Ireland)...

EU Environmental Impact Assessment Directive: scope, screening, EIA report and decisions, 2014 amendments, criminal liability, renewables and energy infrastructure derogations, and 2025 proposals to streamline environmental assessments

Published by a LexisNexis EU Law expert

Practice notes

Key information

EU EIA Directive: Directive 2011/92/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2011 on assessing the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment (codification) (the EU EIA Directive)
Entry into force: 2 January 2012
Amending documents: Directive 2014/52/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014, which amends Directive 2011/92/EU on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment. In force: 15 May 2014
Subject: Planning; Environmental impact assessment

What is environmental impact assessment?

The term ‘environmental impact assessment’ (EIA) refers to a process that must be undertaken for specified projects before ‘development consent’ is granted. The procedure includes:

preparation and submission of an EIA report by the developer. Before the 2014 updates to the EU EIA Directive, this document was known as an ‘environmental statement’
consultation with the relevant authorities, the public and, where appropriate, other affected Member States
scrutiny of the EIA report by the authority responsible for the decision
a reasoned conclusion by the decision-maker on the project’s significant environmental effects

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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