“Parties” means, unless the text otherwise indicates, the Contracting Parties to this Convention;
Verdrag inzake milieu-effectrapportage in grensoverschrijdend verband
Geldig vanaf 23 oktober 2017
Geldig vanaf 23 oktober 2017
Verdrag inzake milieu-effectrapportage in grensoverschrijdend verband
Opschrift
Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context
Preambule
The Parties to this Convention,
Aware of the interrelationship between economic activities and their environmental consequences,
Affirming the need to ensure environmentally sound and sustainable development,
Determined to enhance international co-operation in assessing environmental impact in particular in a transboundary context,
Mindful of the need and importance to develop anticipatory policies and of preventing, mitigating and monitoring significant adverse environmental impact in general and more specifically in a transboundary context,
Recalling the relevant provisions of the Charter of the United Nations, the Declaration of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment, the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) and the Concluding Documents of the Madrid and Vienna Meetings of Representatives of the Participating States of the CSCE,
Commending the ongoing activities of States to ensure that, through their national legal and administrative provisions and their national policies, environmental impact assessment is carried out,
Conscious of the need to give explicit consideration to environmental factors at an early stage in the decision-making process by applying environmental impact assessment, at all appropriate administrative levels, as a necessary tool to improve the quality of information presented to decision makers so that environmentally sound decisions can be made paying careful attention to minimizing significant adverse impact, particularly in a transboundary context,
Mindful of the efforts of international organizations to promote the use of environmental impact assessment both at the national and international levels, and taking into account work on environmental impact assessment carried out under the auspices of the United
Nations Economic Commission for Europe, in particular results achieved by the Seminar on Environmental Impact Assessment (September 1987, Warsaw, Poland) as well as noting the Goals and Principles on environmental impact assessment adopted by the Governing Council of the- United Nations Environmental Programme, and the Ministerial Declaration on Sustainable Development (May 1990, Bergen, Norway),
Have agreed as follows:
Article 1. Definitions
For the purposes of this Convention,
- (i)
- (ii)
“Party of origin” means the Contracting Party or Parties to this Convention under whose jurisdiction a proposed activity is envisaged to take place;
- (iii)
“Affected Party” means the Contracting Party or Parties to this Convention likely to be affected by the transboundary impact of a proposed activity;
- (iv)
“Concerned Parties” means the Party of origin and the affected Party of an environmental impact assessment pursuant to this Convention;
- (v)
“Proposed activity” means any activity or any major change to an activity subject to a decision of a competent authority in accordance with an applicable national procedure;
- (vi)
“Environmental impact assessment” means a national procedure for evaluating the likely impact of a proposed activity on the environment;
- (vii)
“Impact” means any effect caused by a proposed activity on the environment including human health and safety, flora, fauna, soil, air, water, climate, landscape and historical monuments or other physical structures or the interaction among these factors; it also includes effects on cultural heritage or socio-economic conditions resulting from alterations to those factors;
- (viii)
“Transboundary impact” means any impact, not exclusively of a global nature, within an area under the jurisdiction of a Party caused by a proposed activity the physical origin of which is situated wholly or in part within the area under the jurisdiction of another Party;
- (ix)
“Competent authority” means the national authority or authorities designated by a Party as responsible for performing the tasks covered by this Convention and/or the authority or authorities entrusted by a Party with decision-making powers regarding a proposed activity;
- (x)
“The Public” means one or more natural or legal persons and, in accordance with national legislation or practice, their associations, organizations or groups.