Origins and development - Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment - page 45

addressed in an EIA, whereas NEPA does not. Finally, it includes fewer requirements for
public consultation than does NEPA.
Under the provisions of the European Communities Act of 1972, Directive 85/337 is
the controlling document, laying down rules for EIA in Member States. Individual states
enact their own regulations to implement the Directive and have considerable discretion.
According to the Directive, EIA is required for two classes of project, one mandatory
(Annex I) and one discretionary (Annex II):
projects of the classes listed in Annex I shall be made subject to an
assessment… for projects listed in Annex II, the Member States shall
determine through: (a) a case-by-case examination; or (b) thresholds or
criteria set by the Member State whether the project shall be made subject
to an assessment… When [doing so], the relevant selection criteria set out
in Annex III shall be taken into account. (Article 4)
Table 2.3 summarizes the projects listed in Annexes I and II. The EC (CEC 1995) also
published guidelines to help Member States determine whether a project requires EIA.
Table 2.3 Projects requiring EIA under EC
Directive 85/337 (as amended)
Annex I (mandatory)
1. Crude oil refineries, coal/shale gasification and liquefaction
2. Thermal power stations and other combustion installations; nuclear power stations and other
nuclear reactors
3. Radioactive waste processing and/or storage installations
4. Cast-iron and steel smelting works
5. Asbestos extraction, processing or transformation
6. Integrated chemical installations
7. Construction of motorways, express roads, other large roads, railways, airports
8. Trading ports and inland waterways
9. Installations for incinerating, treating or disposing of toxic and dangerous wastes
10. Large-scale installation for incinerating or treating non-hazardous waste
11. Large-scale groundwater abstraction or recharge schemes
12. Large-scale transfer of water resources
13. Large-scale waste water treatment plants
14. Large-scale extraction of petroleum and natural gas
15. Large dams and reservoirs
16. Long pipelines for gas , oil or chemicals