Symposium „Environmental Mediation in Europe“ - ÖGUT

Symposium „Environmental Mediation in Europe“, 22/23.11.2001, Vienna
"ROUND TABLE" STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT -
FINDING CONSENSUAL AND ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND
PLANNING SOLUTIONS
Kerstin Arbter
Abstract
This paper discusses environmental mediation at the level of plans and programmes and its
links with Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). SEA is an instrument with the aim to
integrate environmental aspects into plans and programmes. Environmental mediation focuses
on balancing different interest groups. The combination of both instruments is sensible
and already proved in the Viennese planning practise. The model of linkage is called "SEA at
the round table". This means that interest groups, which are concerned by the plan or programme
take place in the SEA process. This can lead to plans and programmes, which are
on the one side optimised for the environment and on the other side well supported by different
interest groups, because the interests have been balanced during the process. Linking
both tools allows to use synergies, firstly to improve the way of public participation in SEA
processes and secondly to improve the quality of the results of the SEA. Probably there exist
even more sensible combinations of different planning and decision-making instruments. By
conducting pilot projects and by international exchange of experiences we can get a step
forward to develop the appropriate tool-mixture to come to consensual and environmentally
beneficial planning solutions.
Introduction
So far environmental mediation is mostly used at the level of projects. The project level is a
planning level near to the bottom of the planning hierarchy. To reach this quite precise project-level
many decisions have been taken before in more general plans and programmes.
They have been prepared before getting into greater detail by developing special projects.
These plans and programmes often include decisions which are relevant for the environment
and which concern different interest groups. Taking these facts into account, the idea to use
mediation elements also at the level of plans and programmes is growing to a topic of immediate
interest. In this connection it is worth to look for links with instruments, that are already
established at the level of plans and programmes, in order to use as many synergies as possible.
One important tool at this higher planning level is Strategic Environmental Assessment,
in short: SEA.
This paper discusses how mediation at the level of plans and programmes is working and
what kind of synergies with the instrument of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)
exist. A model of integrating the two instruments, environmental mediation on the one side,
and Strategic Environmental Assessment on the other side, is presented. This model is
called "SEA at the round table". It contributes to consensual and environmentally beneficial
planning solutions getting its force from the synergies of the combination of both tools. To
deal with this issue this paper focuses on three major areas: firstly, on the question: What is
SEA; including SEA aims, elements, and its legal background, secondly, on the question:
What do the two instruments have in common and what are the differences; and thirdly, and
finally, on the central question: Where are the links and synergies between environmental
mediation and SEA. To round up the discussion at the end there are some conclusions and
hints from the author's view for further and common development of both instruments. The
main point towards links and synergies is illustrated by the example of the "SEA for the Viennese
Waste Management Plan", where the integrated model "SEA at the round table" was
tested successfully in planning practise.
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