Transboundary damage cooperation and environmental impact assessment. New trends for the protection of the environment

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is the key tool for evaluating the likely impact of a proposed activity on the environment and ensuring a sustainable development. EIA describes a process that produces a written document in order to furnish decision-makers with all the relevant information on the environmental consequences of the proposed activities. It also requires decisions to be influenced by such information and should provide a mechanism for ensuring the participation of potentially affected people in the decision-making process. The paper aims to analyse the legal status of EIA, and its, content, in international law, also with reference to the emerging Strategic Environmental Assessment.