Government Decree on the assessment of the environmental impacts of authorities' plans and programmes (No. 347 of 2005).

The present Government Decree contains provisions implementing the Act relative to procedures of environmental impact assessment of public plans and programmes (No. 200 of 2005), outlining the requirements for assessing the environmental impacts of plans and programmes developed by public authorities in Finland. The purpose of the decree is to ensure that environmental considerations are taken into account in the planning process, in order to promote sustainable development and protect the environment. It applies to a wide range of plans and programmes, including land-use plans, sectoral plans, and environmental programmes. The decree requires that an environmental assessment be carried out for any plan or programme that is likely to have significant environmental impacts. The Decree contains specific provisions on the plans and programmes that require an environmental assessment, criteria for assessing the need for an environmental assessment, consultation between authorities in assessing the need for an environmental assessment, content of the environmental report, etc.