SEA IN THE CONTEXT OF LANDTUSE PLANNING

FIGURE 3.2. SEA TOOLS IN RELATION TO IMPLICIT FACTORS AND THE CONTEXT OF TOOL USE (FROM EMMELIN, 2006).3.3 DiscussionThe review of the two previous sections; firstly the main areas in the international SEAdiscussion, and secondly a sample of issues that are discussed within planning theory,provides the basis on which the actual application of the SEA directive builds. As can beseen from the overview above, the concept of SEA, or similar assessments, have beendeveloped and applied long before the introduction of the SEA directive 2001/42/EC.Furthermore, the ideas of strategic environmental assessment build upon ideas ofenvironmental integration and practice that dates even further back, although the term SEAhas not been used. The purpose of SEA, as illustrated in the discussion differ, presenting twomain streams of thoughts on which the argumentation in based, which both are included inthe objectives of the SEA directive, i.e.; the objectives of SEA as a tool for environmentalintegration in planning and SEA as a policy tool towards the objectives of improving decisionmaking by promoting sustainable development. These differences have been discussed andthe underlying reasons analysed by Sheate et al (2001) and Emmelin and Lerman (2005;2008), which was accounted for in chapter 3.1.4.With the introduction of the SEA-directive and the SEA-protocol, attempts are made tointroduce unifying ideas of what SEA is, both with regard to the aim of conducting SEA, thecontents of the assessment and the main steps of the process. At the same time, thoseinitiatives do not touch upon many of the issues that are being discussed in academic circleswhere both the actual purpose of SEA, the way it shall be conducted has been debated forover two decades. Among the prominent issues that have been discussed, is the underlying39