Decree No. 8/2017 approving the Regulation on Environmental Licensing.

This Decree approves the Regulation on Environmental Licensing. This Regulation, consisting of 35 articles divided into four Chapters, aims at regulating the environmental licensing procedures of activities that, by their nature, location or size, are likely to have significant environmental and social impacts. In addition, it establishes in such cases the compulsory environmental licensing issued by the Competent Environmental Assessment Authority (AAAC), for all new projects and where changes are done to the projects already licensed, namely in case of expansion of the activity, expansion or alteration of the place, etc. It applies to projects that are likely to have significant environmental and social impacts. Any other projects, programmes, plans and policies not listed in Annexes I, II and III of Law No. 10/2010 of 24 September, but susceptible of causing a significant negative impact on the environment are subject to an environmental licensing. Offences and penalties are established by the attached sanctioning regime.