On 30 December 2005, the Rural Affairs and Environment Ministry published the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Regulations (Legal Notice 418 of 2005).
The SEA analyses and addresses the environmental effects of policies, plans and programmes (PPP) aiming to achieve sustainable development.
Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) seek to assess and provide mitigation measures for impacts caused by proposed projects. The SEA goes beyond this in that it addresses the impacts which policies, plans and projects have so that strategic decisions do not conflict with the environment.
These regulations transpose Directive 2001/42/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 June 2001. Under these regulations, selected plans and programmes need to be subjected to an environmental assessment.
The objective of these regulations is to provide for a high level of environment protection, including health, and contribute towards sustainable development by allowing environmental considerations to be assessed, predicted and integrated in the drafting of plans and programmes which are likely to have significant effects on the environment.
An integral component of the SEA process is:
the preparation of an environmental report which identifies, describes and evaluates the likely significant environmental effects of implementing the plan and programme, including the identification of alternatives;
to take into account of the results of the environmental report;
to carry consultation with authorities having environmental responsibilities, stakeholders and the public; and
to monitor the plan and programme after its adoption to identify any significant unforeseen environmental impacts.
Overall, SEA integrates the environmental component into plans and programmes leading to a more informed and transparent decision-making process, in line with sustainable development.
In order to facilitate the adoption of these regulations, the Malta Environment and Planning Authority is currently drafting a guidance document on the implementation of SEA.