The Lombardy Regional Council has approved a new law updating the regional framework governing Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), with the aim of clarifying the allocation of administrative responsibilities and streamlining the conduct of EIA procedures.
The main features of the reform include:
- Clearer allocation of administrative responsibilities, by establishing uniform criteria for identifying the competent authority. The reform confirms the alignment between EIA responsibilities and permitting powers, assigning responsibility to a single administrative authority, providing for the integrated management of complex projects and applying the principle of territorial prevalence to inter-provincial projects.
- Simplification of EIA screening procedures, while maintaining coordination with Appropriate Assessment (AA) procedures and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) procedures.
- Confirmation and enhancement of the regional S.I.L.V.I.A. portal as the single platform for transparency, monitoring, and public participation by citizens and public authorities.
- The possibility of establishing Environmental Monitoring Committees, including at provincial level, to verify compliance with the environmental conditions attached to EIA decisions and EIA screening decisions. Revenues deriving from administrative penalties and procedural fees will be allocated to monitoring and enforcement activities.
- Transitional provisions, under which the previous legal framework will continue to apply to proceedings already commenced, while the new law will apply to applications submitted after its entry into force.
SI – Studio Inzaghi remains available for any further clarification.