SEA IN THE CONTEXT OF LANDTUSE PLANNING

planning area and the 0-alternative, as well as significant environmental impacts that shall bedescribed and assessed. Furthermore, the assessment shall relate to the degree of and the typeof environmental impacts, as well as the environmental impacts that are uncertain and shallbe described and assessed with regard to the uncertainty. The environmental statement shallalso illustrate how the relevant environmental quality goals have been incorporated in theplan, e.g. the Swedish national environmental quality goals and their regional and localcounterparts. Measures to prevent and minimise negative environmental impacts shall beincluded, to the extent to which these can be controlled by the planning instrument inquestion. E.g. in the case of municipal comprehensive planning, the plan cannot, as such,guarantee measure to prevent or to minimise environmental impacts, but is guiding regardingwhat can be decided later in the planning and permission process. Other requirements includea summary of how the environmental assessment has been conducted, why the municipalitieshave chosen the alternatives that have been assessed and the proposed measures for followup.4.3.3 ConsultationThe consultation process for strategic environmental assessment according to the EUdirective is stipulated by Chapter 6, article 14 in the Environmental Code and the decree ofEnvironmental Assessment. Furthermore, the Planning and Building Act 1987:10 also entailsregulations regarding consultation procedures and the presentation of plans of which theSEA forms a part and make reference to the requirements in the Environmental Code. Therequirements for public participation in the Environmental Code resemble the requirementsin the EU-directive by most account; i.e. that consultation with the public shall be conductedearly in the process and within appropriate time frames and the shall relate to the location,scope, design and environmental impact of the activity or measure and the content andstructure of the environmental impact statement. The consultation shall furthermore“contribute to an open decision-making process where relevant municipalities, authorities and the public havethe opportunity for input” (The Environmental Code, chapter 6, Art. 14 8 ). With regard toconsultation with individual actors and certain parts of the environmental assessment process,consultations shall be carried out with the regulatory authorities and the CountyAdministrative Board, as well as other state authorities and municipalities. With regard to theparticipation in the formal consultation by other actors, i.e. the public and organisations, theparticipation in restricted and the terms are stipulated in Article 13, chapter 16 of theEnvironmental Code. Only those organisations that have operated in Sweden for at leastthree years and have more than 2,000 members are entitled to participate in the consultation.For the general public and other organisations, consultations shall in principle be carried outduring public meetings, or through a combination of meetings, public display andpresentations (Naturvårdsverket, 2008).Compared to the requirements on consultation of the EU directive, the Swedishlegislation takes the consultation a step further, with two instances for consultation withauthorities during the planning process. According to the Swedish SEA requirements,consultation with consultative bodies shall be carried out as a part of the scoping stage and asa part of the presentation of the Environmental Report. Furthermore, consultation shall becarried out as a part of the screening stage, if considered necessary. In the first two instances,i.e. in the screening and scoping stage, the information shall be made available to the public.Below are examples of consultation processes for comprehensive municipal plans.8 English translation: Hólmfrídur Bjarnadóttir49