Decree-Law No. 27/2020 approving the Legal Framework for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

This Decree-Law approves the Legal Framework for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). This Legal Framework, consisting of 63 articles divided into five Chapters and eleven Annexes, regulates the Environmental Impact Assessment of public and private projects likely to have significant effects on the environment. It regulates stakeholders and their related competences, the phases of the environmental impact assessment, the registration of consultants and the constitution of technical teams, as well as the fees. In particular, it the following activities are subject to EIA: a) Projects classified in Annex I; b) Projects that, although not explicitly listed in annex I, are, by decision of the EIA Authority, liable to cause a significant impact on the environment due to their location, size or nature, according to the criteria set out in annex II. Any substantial changes to projects are subject to EIA, if such change or extension is considered as likely to have a significant impact on the environment. It does not apply to projects intended for national defense or civil protection.
The objectives of the EIA are: a) identify and evaluate, in an integrated way, the possible significant environmental impacts, direct and indirect, resulting from the execution of the projects with a view to supporting the decision on their environmental viability and considering their achievements namely on: Public health; Biodiversity, Territory, soil, water, air, climate change; Material goods, cultural, architectural, archaeological and natural heritage; Vulnerability to the risks of disaster that are relevant to the project; b) define measures aimed at avoiding, minimizing or compensating for such impacts, helping the adoption of environmentally sustainable decisions; c) verify the effectiveness of the measures adopted, through the environmental exploration license and the monitoring of the effects of the evaluated projects; d) guarantee public participation and consultation in the administrative function.