Directive 2001/42/EC-SEA of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 June 2001 on the assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes on the environment - Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment - page 404

8 OJ L 206, 22.7.1992, p. 7. Directive as last amended by Directive 97/62/EC (OJ L 305, 8.11.1997,
p. 42).
be taken into account during the preparation of the plan or programme and before
its adoption or submission to the legislative procedure.
(18) Member States should ensure that, when a plan or programme is adopted, the
relevant authorities and the public are informed and relevant information is made
available to them.
(19) Where the obligation to carry out assessments of the effects on the environment
arises simultaneously from this Directive and other Community legislation, such as
Council Directive 79/409/EEC of 2 April 1979 on the conservation of wild birds, 9
Directive 92/43/EEC, or Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and the
Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the
field of water policy, 10 in order to avoid duplication of the assessment, Member States
may provide for coordinated or joint procedures fulfilling the requirements of the
relevant Community legislation.
(20) A first report on the application and effectiveness of this Directive should be carried
out by the Commission five years after its entry into force, and at seven-year intervals
thereafter. With a view to further integrating environmental protection requirements,
and taking into account the experience acquired, the first report should, if appropriate,
be accompanied by proposals for amendment of this Directive, in particular as regards
the possibility of extending its scope to other areas/sectors and other types of plans
and programmes.
HAVE ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE:
Article 1. Objectives
The objective of this Directive is 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 and programmes with a view to promoting sustainable
development, by ensuring that, in accordance with this Directive, an environmental
assessment is carried but of certain plans and programmes which are likely to have
significant effects on the environment.
Article 2. Definitions
For the purposes of this Directive:
(a) “plans and programmes” shall mean plans and programmes, including those co-
financed by the European Community, as well as any modifications to them:
• which are subject to preparation and/or adoption by an authority at national, regional
or local level or which are prepared by an authority for adoption, through a
legislative procedure by Parliament or Government, and
• which are required by legislative, regulatory or administrative provisions;