Environmental Impact Assessment Act (UVPG).

An Act on the assessment of environmental impacts. Its purpose is to ensure that for the projects set out in Annex 1 relating to Article 3 in order to guarantee effective preventative environmental protection on the basis of uniform principles: 1. the effects on the environment are identified, described and assessed in time and comprehensively, 2. the results of the environmental impact assessment are taken into account as early as possible in all cases in which authorities decide upon the approval of projects. The Act consists of 7 Parts containing 74 Articles as follows: General rules for environmental assessments (1); Environmental Impact Assessment (2); Strategic Environmental Assessment (3); Specific procedural requirements for certain environmental assessments (4); Cross-border environmental assessments (5); Provisions for certain line systems (6); Final Provisions (7). Provisions of the Law refer to participation of other authorities; participation of authorities of other countries; involvement of the public; maintenance of secrecy and data protection; summarised description of environmental impacts; assessment of environmental impacts and taking them into account during the resulting decision-making; provisional decision and partial approvals; authorization of a project by several authorities; defining general routing and consent for the development of airports; regional planning procedures and authorization procedures; preparation of construction guideline plans; procedures under mining law; procedures on the consolidation of farmland; administrative regulations; Decisions; procedure; Penalties; administrative provisions; and transitional provisions. Six Annexes are enclosed.
The 2025 amendments to the Act update project categories and clarify procedural rules, including new exemptions for certain minor infrastructure projects and transitional arrangements for strategic environmental assessments. They also introduce administrative guidance to ensure consistent application of the law and align it with EU requirements and other regulatory updates.