Environmental impact management and planning: - Norway

HISTORICAL BACKGROUNDDuring the first five-year period of cooperation onenvironmental impact management, the focus wason preparing the legal framework. The Norwegiangovernment, in particular the NMoE, added value in termsof the following:• The original funding, since 2001, for the legal draftersof the amendments to NEMA and the drafting of EIAregulations in terms of NEMA.• Contributing to the development of EIM-relatedinformation documents and guidelines.• The capacity-building of EIM officials throughinternational exposure, case examples and practicalinteraction with authorities and developmentinstitutions.• Providing advice on linkages between planning andenvironmental legislation, particularly on linked landuse planning and strategic environmental assessment(SEA) – this culminated in the development of specificenvironmental management frameworks (EMFs).• The secondment of the NMoE’s Deputy Director-General (Mr Terje Lind) to DEAT for a two-month periodin 2003.During the period of Mr Lind’s secondment to DEAT, heprovided advice on amendments to Chapter 5 of NEMAand the drafting of new environmental impact assessmentregulations, the SEA position paper and internationalperspective, the relationship between planning andEIA legislation (tested applicability in case studies), EIAevaluations and authorisations, making provision to useother instruments for impact management, describinglisted activities and the introduction of thresholds, aswell as practical experience based on the NorwegianEIA experience and experience gathered through thecooperation.CURRENT PROGRAMMEThe first five years focused largely on legal drafting andcapacity-building. During the second five years of EIMcooperation, the focus moved to implementation,evaluating the effectiveness of the system in South Africaand building the capacity of provincial environmentalauthorities. More prominence was afforded to the EIMproject in the business plan during this second period.In 2009, a mid-term review was conducted for theenvironmental cooperation programme and thecooperation on environmental impact assessment waschosen as a case for special assessment. The reviewstated that the cooperation is fully demand-driven andbased on equal partnership.Mr Terje Lind, Deputy Director-General of the Norwegian Royal Ministry of the Environment, deliversthe keynote address at the 10 years of EIA in South Africa Conference held in November 2008.2