Interpretation and Implementation of the SEA Directive - A Comparison between France and UK

The Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Directive entered in European Union legislation in 2001. The need for this new Directive came from a lack in the former one, the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive, on plans and programmes. The goal of the SEA Directive is to oblige the decision makers, of a programme or a plan, to take into account the environment. The SEA process can allow a thinking period on plans and programmes and what could be done to reduce damages and enhance the environmental performance of the plan or programme. The study investigates the SEA Directive and its interpretation and implementation in France and the UK. Two case studies, on SEA of Regional Economic Strategies, complete this study which aims at comparing the two countries’ implementation of the directive, what are the differences and similarities of the interpretation and implementation of the SEA Directive and find possible explanations. The study concludes that the two SEA’s are quite similar with all the information required. Concerning the Regional Economic Strategies, the UK seems to have done a better analysis and report of its region’s study. On the opposite the French region case needs to be completed as some lacks were found. For example, the opinion of the Prefet on the accuracy degree of information that should be in the evaluation and explanations on why this project had been chosen are missing in the French region environmental evaluation. But, even with some lacks the French SEA process is a good one. The study can not compare the consultation and monitoring parts as some documents, concerning the consultation part and the monitoring, are not available yet. This study is a final year research project which is seen as a diploma study in French’s school system.