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Sonderforschungsgruppe Institutionenanalyse und Universität Kassel
Report Cover Sheet
1. Report
UBA-FB
No. 2. 3.
4. Report Title
Evaluation of the Federal Environmental Impact Assessment Act in Germany
5. Autor(s), Family Name(s), First Name(s) 8. Report Date
Führ, Martin; Bizer, Kilian; Dopfer, Jaqui; Schlagbauer, Susanne; April 30, 2008
Bedke, Nils; Belzer, Frank; Mengel, Andreas;
9. Publication Date
6. Performing Organisation (Name, Address)
Hochschule Darmstadt, sofia 10. UFOPLAN-Ref. No.
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen 20516104
Universität Kassel
11. No. of Pages
331 + 114 Annex
7. Sponsoring Agency (Name, Address) 12. No. of Reference
Umweltbundesamt, Postfach 14 06, 06813 Dessau-Roßlau 59
13. No. of Tables, Diagrams
38
14. No. of Figures
8
15. Supplementary Notes
16. Abstract
This study evaluates the impacts of the Federal Environmental Impact Assessment Act in Germany by reviewing
the implementation of licensing industrial facilities and infrastructure. The objective of the study is to
identify deficits of the implementation and to suggest feasible approaches to increase the quality of impact
assessments. The core of the study is based on 105 case studies which where conducted 2006 and 2007 and
took place between 1999 and 2005. In order to build a representative data base we took a stratified sample
from six regions across the Bundesländer. The cases with an environmental impact assessment are clearly
better evaluated than cases without. This policy on/policy off comparison reveals a strong impact of the
current legislation. Despite this result there are also striking deficits within the phases of an impact assessment
compared to the legal objective. Overall the staff members of the licensing agencies feel overburdened
especially by larger and more complex cases and criticize the lack of financial, personnel and time resources.
This diminishes the quality of impact assessments across all phases of the impact assessment but is revealed
especially in the summary as well as the evaluation of the environmental effects where the manifold effects
and complex structures of causes and effects ask for more expertise than staff members of agencies are
prepared for. In order to improve the impact assessment, staff members need more specified support from
higher levels of the government and standardized procedures. External experts could support agencies in the
preparation of impact assessment hearings, outlining studies to survey possible impacts and also in finalizing
documents. Alternatively specific government agencies could provide assistance to licensing agencies. Apart
from these two instruments the study suggests several more which reflect the motivation and incentives of
staff members in agencies.
17. Keywords
Environmental Impact Assessment, Evaluation, Case studies, Empirical Survey, Institutional Analysis
18. Price 19. 20.