What is the difference between EIA and SEA?

Experience in environmental assessment has indicated that project level Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is applied late in the decision-making process, since key decisions will already have been taken at this stage. Unlike EIA, Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) analyses and addresses the environmental effects of policies, plans and programmes (PPP) aiming to achieve sustainable development. In addressing the source of environmental deterioration, rather than mitigating their impacts, SEA can assist decision-makers to achieve early identification of the best environmental options.

A good-quality SEA process informs planners, decision-makers and the affected public on the sustainability of strategic decisions. It also facilitates the selection of the best alternative and ensures a democratic decision-making process that enhances the credibility of decisions taken and leads to a more cost and time effective environmental assessment at project level.

EIA and SEA aim to minimise significant environmental effects of a proposed project, policy, plan or programme, however both environmental assessments do differ from each other. The differences between EIA and SEA are summarised and presented in Table 2 and clarify what makes SEA a strategic assessment.

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