In July 2016, Belarus adopted the new law on environmental expertise (EE), strategic environmental assessment (SEA) and environmental impact assessment (EIA) (the Law) that should come into force in January 2016. The law provided an enhanced legislative framework to the national environmental assessment system. However, due to the national legislative technique the Law inherited several major shortcomings vis-à-vis the UNECE Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (Espoo Convention) and its Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment (Protocol on SEA). To address these deficiencies, the Ministry intended to draw up the secondary legislation on EIA and SEA in compliance with the Convention and the Protocol. To this end, it requested the UNECE secretariat to the two treaties to provide, in the framework of the EU funded programme 'Greening Economies in Eastern Neighbourhood' (EaP GREEN), a legislative advice and capacity building for a national drafting group that was established to prepare the secondary legislation.
In response to this request the following activities were carried out by the UNECE in cooperation with the Ministry and the UNDP office in Belarus:
(a) An in-depth training on EIA on 19 September 2016
(b) An in-deapth training on SEA on 20 September 2016
(c) A drafting group meeting on EIA on 21 September 2016
(d) A drafting group meeting on SEA on 22 September 2016
During this series of events the members of the drafting group and the selected national stockholders improved their understanding and knowledge of the requirements of the Espoo Convention and its Protocol as well as of the relevant EU legislation. They discussed how to transpose the requirements into the national EIA and SEA schemes of Belarus through the secondary legislation, and produced the structure and main element of the secondary legislation on EIA and SEA.
| Document title | ENG | RUS |
|---|---|---|
| Background documents | ||
| Agenda | ENG | |
|
Report |
ENG | |
| List of Participants | ||
| 19 September 2016 | ENG | |
| 20 September 2016 | ENG | |
| 21 September 2016 | ENG | |
| 22 September 2016 | ENG | |
| Georgian Law, Code of Environmental Assessment | ENG | |
| Presentations | ||
|
Introduction to the international legal framework of environmental assessment, role of the UNECE Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (Espoo Convention) and experiences regarding current legislative reform of environmental impact assessment systems in the countries of Eastern Europe and the Caucasus Jerzy Jendroska, consultant to the UNECE Secretariat to the Espoo Convention |
RUS | |
|
Conceptual differences between international legal standards for EIA and OVOS/environmental expertise system Jerzy Jendroska, consultant to the UNECE Secretariat to the Espoo Convention |
ENG | RUS |
|
Place of EIA in development control and the role of authorities and other actors according to the acknowledged international practice Jerzy Jendroska, consultant to the UNECE Secretariat to the Espoo Convention EIA |
ENG | RUS |
|
EIA elements of an environmental assessment framework in light of the requirements of the Espoo Convention and other international standards Jerzy Jendroska, consultant to the UNECE Secretariat to the Espoo Convention |
ENG | RUS |
|
Transboundary consultations - in light of the requirements of the Espoo Convention and experience of its Implementation Committee Jerzy Jendroska, consultant to the UNECE Secretariat to the Espoo Convention |
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Incorporation of the results of EIA into the final decision Jerzy Jendroska, consultant to the UNECE Secretariat to the Espoo Convention |
RUS | |
|
Introduction to the international legal framework of environmental assessments and conceptual differences between SEA and OVOS/environmental expertise system Jerzy Jendroska, consultant to the UNECE Secretariat to the Espoo Convention |
ENG | RUS |
|
Transposition of the provisions of the UNECE Protocol on SEA into the national legislation. Working session I: General provisions and definitions Jerzy Jendroska, consultant to the UNECE Secretariat to the Espoo Convention |
ENG | RUS |
|
Transposition of the provisions of the UNECE Protocol on SEA into the national legislation. Working session II: Field of application of SEA (screening) Jerzy Jendroska, consultant to the UNECE Secretariat to the Espoo Convention |
ENG | RUS |
|
Transposition of the provisions of the UNECE Protocol on SEA into the national legislation. Working session III: Scoping and the role of environmental and health authorities Jerzy Jendroska, consultant to the UNECE Secretariat to the Espoo Convention |
ENG | RUS |
|
Public participation, consultations, transboundary procedure and final decision Jerzy Jendroska, consultant to the UNECE Secretariat to the Espoo Convention |
ENG | RUS |