The National Commission for Environmental Impact Assessment
The tasks and principles of operation of the National EIA Commission and the Regional EIA Committees are defined in the Act of 3 October 2008 on the provision of information about the environment and its protection, public participation in environmental protection and environmental impact assessment (EIA Act).
Tasks of the National Commission are following:
- Providing opinions on matters pertaining to the competence of the General Director for Environmental Protection related to the investment process and the system of Environmental Impact Assessments,
- monitoring of the functioning of the EIA system,
- issuing opinions on draft regulations concerning EIA,
- co-operation with the Regional Environmental Impact Assessment Commission.
The General Director for Environmental Protection may, at the request of the regional director for environmental protection, refer to the National Commission for an opinion on matters within the competence of the regional director for environmental protection.
The National Commission performs its duties in plenary sessions and at meetings of working groups. The following issues, for example, were the subject of the meetings in the years 2009 - 2013:
- environmental impact assessment of the proposed project to construct a new section of the ski run with a chairlift with lightning and artificial snow machines, transfer of two ski lifts and the construction of the building of the upper station of the lift and the construction of a small catering facility in Krynica Street at Zielona and Zamkowa Streets - meeting on 16 May 2013.
- environmental impact assessment of the proposed project involving the railway connection of the Katowice International Airport in Pyrzowice with the cities of the Upper Silesian agglomeration, section Katowice - Pyrzowice - meetings on 19.03.2012 and 28.03.2012.
- environmental impact assessment of the proposed project involving the operation and initial processing of natural aggregate deposits of field A of the Mostkowo deposit - meeting on 24.04.2012.
- authorization to operate in the disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous waste using the ATON BW-M transportable device - meeting on 12.07.2011.
- environmental impact assessment of the proposed project involving the expansion of Lublin-Swidnik Airport - meeting on 11.02.2010.
- environmental impact assessment of the planned activities related to the construction of wind farms in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship - meeting on 17.02.2010.
- environmental impact assessment of the proposed project involving the construction of Waste Thermal Treatment Plant in Krakow - meeting on 23.04.2010.
- environmental impact assessment in a transboundary context for the project involving the construction of the Nord Stream gas pipeline - meeting on 1.06.2009.
Detailed description of the activities of the National Committee and regional committees, and organisation and mode of operation are determined in the Regulation of the Minister of Environment of 23 December 2010 on the activity of the National Environmental Impact Assessment Commission and regional committees for EIA.
The members of the National Environmental Impact Assessment Commission - the PDF file
Information on the National Environmental Impact Assessment Commission (NCEIA)
The NCEIA has been established in 1990, by the protocol of environmental sub-committee of the Round Table. At first it was an opinion-giving body for the following: requests concerning locations of new investments requiring negotiations with the Ministry of Environmental Protection, Natural Resources and Forestry, environmental impact assessments for the existing facilities (at the Minister's request) and theoretical analyses on these issues.
The scope of activity of the National Environmental Impact Assessment Commission as an opinion-giving and advisory body of the Minister of Environment concerning environmental impact has been established at first in the Act Environmental Protection Law of 27 April 2001. Moreover, pursuant to the said Act, voivodeship Commissions for environmental impact assessment have also been established, acting as advisory bodies for voivodes. Detailed description of the activities of the National and voivodeship Commissions have been determined in the Regulation of the Minister of Environment of 31 July 2002.
NCEIA consists of representatives of academia, research institutes related to environmental protection, and experts from State offices and environmental organisations. Particular tasks are performed at plenary sessions or working group meetings. Additional, independent analyses are drawn for documentation of issues analysed by the National Commission. Motions, resolutions and positions from sessions are submitted by the President of the National Commission to the Director for Environmental Protection.
Among the tasks of the Department of Environmental Impact Assessment is, inter alia, the oversight of cases related to the functioning of the National Environmental Impact Assessment Commission. Statutory tasks of the Commission are meant to improve the quality of the procedures of environmental impact assessments, and in particular, of infrastructural investments planned for co-financing form the EU funds.