Regulation 686 date 29.7.2015 approving the rules, responsibilities, and terms of procedure for the environment impact assessment (EIA) and the transfer of the environment certificate decision.

This Regulation lays down the rules of procedure, responsibilities, and terms regarding the conduct of the environment impact assessment (EIA) and the transfer of the concluding environment certificate.
The Regulation is composed of the following Chapters: I- Preliminary Procedures setting forth rules regarding the content of the EIA application and specifically addressing the technical proposal, the pre-EIA report, the acts of incorporation of the requesting party, and the payment of required fees. Preliminary procedures also detail the rules of procedure that the Ministry should follow after receiving the EIA application. II- In-Depth EIA Review setting forth rules and rules of procedure regarding the in-depth review and examination of the EIA application. III- Transfer of Decision or Environment Certificate detailing rules applied in cases when the developer/applicant changes after the preliminary examination phase. After the submission of the required documentation, the Minister issues the Transfer of the Environment Certificate within 15 days of the initial request. IV- Impact Monitoring, Confidentiality, Appeal, and Communication setting forth rules regarding the obligation of the developer to monitor the environmental impact in conformity with the stipulations of the environmental certificate and the environmental law as well as his/her right to appeal the acts and actions followed during the EIA examination. V- Final Provisions enlisting the regulations repealed by the Regulation 686 of 2015.
There are also five addenda attached to the regulation: Addenda I concerning the criteria used for decision-making during the EIA preliminary phase such as the characteristics of the proposed project including its size, the use of natural resources, waste production, environmental noise, etc; characteristics of the surrounding project environment including the land use, the environmental status of ligatins, coastal areas, forestry, protected natural areas, biodiversity, high density population, etc; the characteristics of the potential environmental impact including the type of such impact, its geographical coverage, and special requirements for the protection of public health from the environmental impact; Addenda II laying down detailed rules concerning the form and content of the information contained in the in-depth EIA; Addenda III laying down auxiliary criteria for the examination of the in-depth EIA report and the drafting of the environmental certificate; Addenda IV presenting the templates of the preliminary EIA decision and the in-depth EIA decision; and Addenda V presenting the template of the environmental certificate.
The Regulation is fully approximated with the EU Directive 2011/92/EU on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment.