Governance & Policy
EU Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive
Definition
The SEA Directive, Directive 2001/42/EC, requires an environmental assessment for plans and programmes in sectors such as energy, transport, waste, water and land use that set the framework for future development consent. It mandates an environmental report, consultation with authorities and the public, and consideration of reasonable alternatives before adoption.
References
Overview
What it means
Environmental thinking must happen when the plan is written — not patched in later project by project.
How it is used
Planning authorities run SEA alongside plan-making; sustainability appraisals in the UK tradition descend from it; consultants tier SEA findings into project EIAs.
Why it matters
It moves environmental assessment upstream to where the big decisions — what gets built where — are actually made.