Environmental Assessment in Countries in Transition

Edited by E. Bellinger, Head of Environmental Sciences at the Central European University, Budapest, N. Lee, C. George, and A. Paduret, Environmental Impact Assesment Centre, University of Manchester

The countries included in this study on the regulations and practices relating environmental assessment are Armenia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Ukraine. Each country study has been prepared by specialists from within the country concerned.

The publication is divided into four sections. Part I is an introduction to environmental assessment in countries in transition. Part II contains individual country studies on environmental assessment, legislation and practice. Part III examines a number of leading issues concerning the operation, effectiveness and training requirements for environmental assessment. Part IV presents overall conclusions and recommendations.

This study will be of interest to EA practitioners in public administration; development and consultant organizations; training and educational and research institutes; and international and bilateral aid agencies. Project level EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) and, to a lesser extent, SEA (Strategic Environmental Assessment) for planning and other strategic-level actions have been, or are being, introduced in the great majority of countries in transition (CIT). As yet, however, most of the countries have only limited experience in formulating "state of the art" EIA regulations and applying them satisfactorily. Furthermore, such experiences in CITs that do exist are not yet sufficiently well documented and widely disseminated. This report should be of considerable value in helping to strengthen EA regulation and practice in the region.

2000
208 pages
ISBN 978-963-9116-92-4 paperback $32.00 / £19.95