Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

Related services

Other categories

Other services related to:

Environmental studies and permitting

Other categories

The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) represents one of the supporting tools to public decisions, aimed to previously estimate the induced effects of a determined project action on the surrounding environment thus verifying its environmental compatibility.
Such procedure, defined at European Community level by the 85/377/CEE Directive and the following 97/11/CE Directive, was implemented at national level through Law 349/86 as well with DPCM 377/88 (“Work typologies whose projects are subdued to VIA procedures”) and DPCM of December 27, 1988 (“ Structure and contents of environmental im pact studies ”).
Italian Law DPR of April 12, 1996 fulfilled the implementation of the EC directives regulating the EIA procedure concerning works referred in the II Attachment to the 85/337/CEE Directive.

The complete normative on EIA was rearranged through Part II of Italian Law D.Lgs. 152/06 and subsequent modifications and additions.

Environmental Impact Studies (EIS) constitute a technical-scientific instrument which comprises the description and evaluation of environmental effects due to the realization and utilize of specific work categories.
These studies represent interdisciplinary instruments aimed to communicate to relevant authorities and populations the nature of the environmental results caused by the work and the measures the Proponent is willing to set in order to mitigate or reduce their extent.
EIS editing stage is a key step in the EIA procedure whose complexity is strictly linked to the number of actors, interests and problems involved.
Consequently the achievement of environmental compatibility, which is based on data obtained by the EIS study, depends on multiple and complex activities to perform before, during and after the study itself.

In the European context, Environmental Impact Assessment studies substantially share the aims and structures with the Italian legislation and are regulated by the aforementioned directives.

In case of international projects, EIA studies, more often called Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA), follow national laws when existing or Donor standards when available. This usually occurs when the work is financed by the World Bank which, in its Operational manual, includes Operational Policies (OPs) with mandatory guidelines regarding the funded Project.

Our EIA team includes specialists in environmental sciences and is joined by local experts and specialists in socio-economic studies that enhance the expertise of the working group, in order to optimize the results of the work.

Objectives of the work

VDP is engaged in the development of Environmental Impact Assessment since the end of 80’s and, over the years, has gained the skills to meet and satisfy the needs expressed by the Proponent during the EIA process.

Concerning the four areas of activity needed to obtain the Environmental compatibility approval, the services offered by VDP are:

At European and International level, VDP ensures compliance with current regulations and, in case of studies funded by Donors that require specific standards, their fulfillment.

Offered services

EIA process can be divided into 3 main phases and various subsequent steps, more or less codified by the Law.

The preparation of the EIA is therefore just an important step of a more complex process that requires a broad set of skills and knowledge.
The activities necessary to obtain the environmental compatibility approval by the Authority and, more generally, of the authorization for the construction phase, are various .

VDP goal is therefore to support the Client – Proponent throughout the different phases that structure the EIA procedure, thanks to the complex of technical and procedural knowledge acquired during many years of activity.

Furthermore, VDP goal is to increase its presence in foreign markets. VDP aims to set up a network of foreign companies, with complementary skills, in order to offer tested and professionally reliable team, able to perform to the required activities at highest levels.