Meeting Europe's renewable energy targets in harmony with - RSPB

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR NATIONAL AND EU POLICY MAKERS 109
alternatives are studied in SEAs as a means to
identify plans that give a high level of protection to
the environment, rather than as a formality. Steps
are also needed to strengthen assessment of
cumulative and transboundary impacts in SEA.
This is particularly important to enable sensitive
development of offshore renewable energy. The
requirements for public participation and
assessment of alternatives should also be extended
to national policies, where these set the framework
for future SEAs and EIAs. There is also a need to
clarify how alternatives should be defined in SEA.
9 Improve implementation of the EIA Directive.
The EIA Directive is another key tool for ensuring
Europe’s renewable energy targets are compatible
with its biodiversity targets. However, steps need to
be taken to ensure it works as intended. There are
three key areas of weakness: a lack of objectivity in
the preparation of Environmental Statements
where consultants put the interests of securing
future business over those of scientific rigour; lack
of capacity in environmental and planning
authorities to scrutinise EIA reports; and failure of
national authorities to ensure impacts are
monitored and agreed mitigation measures are
implemented. In each case steps can and must be
taken at the European level to address these
weaknesses. Specifically the Commission should:
● Require EIAs for all sectors including renewables
to set out a clear and specific plan for
implementing mitigation and monitoring
measures, and for reporting on measurable
outcomes that can be verified by competent
authorities.
● Explore how to build capacity in some Member
State authorities to scrutinise environmental
assessments and ensure that agreed mitigation,
compensation and monitoring provisions are
implemented.
● Ensure environmental assessment reports are
scientifically robust, for example, by requiring
independent selection of consultants to carry out
studies from a pool of approved professionals.
5.3 POLICY
RECOMMENDATIONS
FOR PROJECT
PARTNERS’ COUNTRIES
For each project Partner’s country or Member
State, this Section presents some background
information about conservation and renewables
development, a chart showing which renewables
technologies are expected to supply additional
energy by 2020, and some policy
recommendations specific to that country.