Introduction
Introduced in 1987, the environmental assessment practice is well established in the Netherlands. However, in the past years, several changes have been made. For example because of incorporating European Directives, 'temporary crisis regulations' or because of new enabling legislation. The current legislation form 2010 will soon be replaced by a new environmental and planning act (ex. 2021).
In the Netherlands we distinguish between:
- Environmental Impact Assessment for (relatively) simple, straightforward permits: the simplified procedure;
- Environmental Impact Assessment for complex decisions and SEA for plans and programmes: the full-fledged procedure.
Note that ‘simplified’ does not necessarily mean ‘easy’. For EIA, the type of permit determines whether the simplified or full-fledged procedure applies. For permits related to the Environmental Act and Mining Act for example, the simplified procedure suffices. For EIA for complex decisions, all projects which require an appropriate assessment on the basis of the Dutch Nature Conservation Act and all projects in which a government body is proponent (e.g. expansion airport, projects concerning the infrastructure, housing programmes) the full-fledged procedure is required.
News
Webpages | 06-12-2024
WACA delegation visits the Netherlands
In November, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) organised a study tour for the member states of the West-Africa Coastal Areas (WACA) programme.
Webpages | 14-11-2024
Colombia: Strategic integrated planning for offshore wind
The NCEA contributed to a workshop on environmental assessment for offshore wind in Bogotá, Colombia. The workshop was co-hosted by the Netherlands…
Webpages | 18-10-2024
Vacancy: Spanish speaking SEA Advisor
The NCEA is looking for a Strategic Environmental Assessment Advisor (Spanish speaking).
Webpages | 15-10-2024
The NCEA visits WWF NL for ESIA/SEA crash course
In October, the NCEA visited WWF Netherlands headquarters for a day of exchange and learning on ESIA and SEA.
Webpages | 13-09-2024
Dennis van Peppen new Director International at the NCEA
From 1 October, Dennis van Peppen will succeed Rob Verheem as Director International at the Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment (NCEA).…
Webpages | 24-06-2024
Ethiopia: NCEA and BRIGHT Project Host SEA Training
The NCEA, in cooperation with the BRIGHT project, hosted a three-day introductory training on SEA in Addis Abeba.
Webpages | 17-06-2024
Egypt: SEA and green hydrogen value chains
In June the NCEA travelled to Egypt as part of a delegation of the Dutch ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, organised in the framework of…
Webpages | 07-06-2024
Completed: new Sustainability Analysis
“Improving governmental capacity to address sustainability dilemmas in global value chains”. That is the title of the analysis report, published…
Webpages | 25-04-2024
Jordanian delegation visits the NCEA
In April, a Jordanian delegation visited the NCEA’s office in Utrecht for a knowledge exchange on planning for urban environments.
Webpages | 18-04-2024
Looking for a new Director International
The Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment is looking for a Director international. Interested candidates can express their interest before…
Webpages | 09-04-2024
IAIA24 Programme published -Where can you find the NCEA?
The NCEA will be at the IAIA24 conference in Dublin. You can find us at several sessions, at the exhibition, and we have a special event planned.
Webpages | 04-03-2024
Egypt: Workshop on integrating SEA in Integrated Coastal Zone Management
Under the Joint Cooperation and Applied Research programme funded by the Netherlands Government, Egypt is addressing climate change induced sea-level…
Webpages | 17-01-2024
Climate change adaptation in water and food security programmes: evaluation report online
The IOB has released an evaluation report on how climate change adaptation is integrated into water and food security programmes funded by the…
Webpages | 15-01-2024
UNESCO, IUCN and NCEA start cooperation to strengthen World Heritage protection
UNESCO, IUCN, and the NCEA have signed an agreement to reinforce capacity building and quality assurance for Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs)…
Webpages | 19-12-2023
Sustainability Analysis: looking back on 2023
At the start of 2023, NCEA launched the Sustainability Analysis Programme, in short: SusAn. What has happened since then?
Webpages | 16-10-2023
Diner pensant and kick off SusAn programme
As kick-off of the Sustainability Analysis (SusAn) program, the NCEA organised a diner pensant last month. The representatives of five independent, DGIS…
Webpages | 02-10-2023
Energetic ‘Water as Leverage’ meeting in Cartagena, Colombia
Last week, the NCEA was present in Cartagena, Colombia during the presentation of 11 conceptual designs for water- and climate change adaptation in…
Webpages | 27-06-2023
Added value of environmental and social impact assessment in city planning
Best practice from the Netherlands! In a short video, urban planner and senior designer Ruwan Aluvihare explains the added value of Environmental and…
Webpages | 14-06-2023
Knowledge exchange on responsible offshore sand sourcing in Vietnam
Last month, the Vietnam Geology Department in cooperation with the Netherlands Embassy, organised a seminar called ‘Experience sharing and cooperation…
Webpages | 29-03-2023
2023-2032: a new cooperation between NCEA and Ministry of Foreign Affairs
We are pleased to announce the signing of a new 10-year cooperation agreement with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Webpages | 23-01-2023
New colleagues!
It is with great pleasure that we welcome two new colleagues to our international team.
Webpages | 01-11-2022
ESIA guidelines oil & gas exploitation - Suriname
The NCEA visited Suriname to support the National Institute for Environment and Development (NIMOS) with the development of ESIA guidelines for offshore…
Webpages | 02-05-2022
Synergy: increasing local ownership through environmental and social assessment
NWP, RVO and NCEA organised a webinar to discuss the potential to increase local ownership of water management via environmental assessment.
Webpages | 13-12-2021
Workshop IFFD
The NCEA Congratulation to@IFDDfor the organization of the Francophone Assises on the Sustainable Management of the Environment. The Netherlands are…
Webpages | 24-11-2021
WWF Netherlands and the NCEA sign MoU
Today, the NCEA signed a cooperation agreement with WWF Netherlands. This cooperation will be a continuation of the work done together in recent years…
Webpages | 27-09-2021
Niger delegation Environmental Ministry visits the Netherlands
“Even if our countries are very different, some challenges such as climate change are comparable.” according to one of the Niger delegation members…
Webpages | 28-06-2021
Panel session on SEA and Land Governance - June 30th
NCEA colleagues Gwen van Boven and Leyla Ozay will facilitate one of the panel sessions at the upcoming international conference of LANDac, the…
Webpages | 03-05-2021
Advice on guidance for ESIAs for dredging material
Following the exchange between Colombia and the Netherlands in November on reuse of dredged material, the NCEA advised on the ToR for Environmental…
Webpages | 01-03-2021
Publication on EA and landscape management also in French and Spanish
Our recent publication with ten cases on ESIA and SEA in landscape management is now also available in French and Spanish. Shared Resources,…
Webpages | 07-01-2021
Webinar series Jordan ESIA & hazardous substances
The Jordan Ministry for Environment and the NCEA jointly organised a series of webinars on dealing with the risks of hazardous substances within ESIA.
Webpages | 14-12-2020
New MoU Egypt - Dutch water sector
Following successful cooperation since 1970s, Egypt and the Netherlands recently signed a new MoU for an ambitious 4-year cooperation programme in the…
Webpages | 30-11-2020
Reuse of dredge material, collaboration the Netherlands - Colombia
To provide input for the implementation of the National Plan for Maritime Dredging of Colombia, experiences and practice on the reuse of dredged…
Webpages | 26-11-2020
Publication: 10 cases of the SRJS programme!
In a new publication, the NCEA together with SRJS presents an overview of ten cases on ESIA and SEA in landscape management, from ten countries across…
Webpages | 25-09-2019
Manual Catchment Plan & SEA development - Rwanda
As part of the IWRM Programme led by the Government of Rwanda and funded by the Netherlands, a manual is produced for the development of Catchment Plans…
Webpages | 23-09-2019
Improving ESIA in the water sector – Egypt
The Egyptian government, specifically the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation wants to improve their ESIA practice in the water sector.
Webpages | 24-06-2019
Zanzibari delegation visits the Netherlands
Utrecht, 17-21 June - A delegation of environmental authorities from Zanzibar and mainland Tanzania, met with the NAM (Netherlands Oil Company)…
Webpages | 17-04-2019
High level Egypt - Netherlands Water Panel
The Hague - In the presence of Dutch Minister Ms Van Nieuwenhuizen (Infrastructure and Watermanagement) and the Egyptian Minister Dr. Mohamed Abdel Aty…
Webpages | 08-04-2019
25 years cooperation NCEA & Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Foreign Ministry of the Netherlands and the NCEA organised a festive symposium on the occasion of 25 years of cooperation. Over a 100 (longtime)…
Webpages | 11-12-2018
Dutch support for Ethiopia, role of the NCEA
Addis Abeba, 3-5 December 2018 - In the coming years, the Netherlands will implement an integrated programme in Ethiopia, in which food security, water…
Webpages | 10-12-2018
SEA for water related infrastructure, Pantanal-Chaco landscape
Brasilia, 3-7 December. Which issues are typically encountered in strategic environmental assessments for water related infrastructure decisions? These…
Webpages | 25-04-2018
NCEA's Views and Experiences 2018, out now!
It is with great pleasure that we present the newest edition of our views and experiences series. A compilation of recent cases and experiences,…
Webpages | 16-01-2018
Introducing SEA in Myanmar
Now is the time for introducing strategic environmental assessment (SEA) in Myanmar, according to the country’s Ministry of Environment…
Webpages | 13-11-2017
Two SEA events in Indonesia
In October the NCEA was in Indonesia to contribute to two SEA workshops. In the first, participants discussed options to improve stakeholder…
Webpages | 30-10-2017
SEA for Sourou development plan, Mali
The Netherlands Embassy in Mali and the NCEA facilitated a workshop in Mopti to discuss SEA for a development plan in the Sourou area. Decentral and…
Webpages | 25-09-2017
SEA and Delta strategy Myanmar: green or grey?
A workshop took place in the framework of the SEA inclusive ‘Integrated Ayeyarwady Delta Strategy’ in Myanmar. The workshop, in which the…
Webpages | 27-06-2017
Strengthening Zambia’s ESIA and SEA system
Zambia wants to strengthen its ESIA and SEA system. But how to do this? WWF Zambia and the Zambia Environmental Management Agency both asked the help of…
Webpages | 04-04-2017
Making ESIA reports more accessible through interactive websites
How to make ESIA reports more accessible and understandable for the public? With this question in mind, a pilot for ‘interactive ESIA…
Webpages | 06-03-2017
Continuing cooperation in Zanzibar
Cooperation between the Zanzibar Environmental Management Authority (ZEMA) and the NCEA will be continued. After conclusion of the previous two-year…
Webpages | 31-01-2017
Advice on scoping for ESIA for Pan Hlaing sluice, Myanmar
Myanmar’s Department of Irrigation asked the NCEA to advise on the content to be addressed in the environmental and social impact assessment…
Webpages | 16-01-2017
NCEA wins international award
The International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA) has selected the NCEA to receive its Institutional Award 2017. This award is presented for…
Webpages | 14-11-2016
Brainstorm: future of the Espoo Convention and SEA protocol
On November 7 Rob Verheem (NCEA) led a brainstorm on the future of the UN ECE Espoo Convention and SEA protocol. The brainstorm was part of the 6th…
Webpages | 12-10-2016
Catchment planning and SEA workshop in Rwanda
From October 4-6, the NCEA was present at an integrated catchment planning and SEA workshop in Musanze, Rwanda. In this workshop, Catchment Taskforce…
Webpages | 12-10-2016
Advice on guidelines for ESIA on irrigation in Georgia
Two members of an NCEA working group visited Georgia (11-14 October) to advise on guidelines for an ESIA. The ESIA concerns a project for rehabilitation…
Webpages | 14-09-2016
“Making EIA work for Zanzibar”
Two high profile seminars on EIA were the final activities of a 2 year cooperation programme between the Netherlands and Zanzibar.
Webpages | 12-09-2016
The Impact of Transport Biofuels on Developing Countries: Ensuring Policy Coherence
Transport biofuels measures in the Netherlands have global implications. What are the impacts on developing countries when choosing between a 2%, 5% or…
Webpages | 15-08-2016
EIA for dutch private investments overseas, article explains why
Article in environmental magazine: environmental assessment for Dutch private sector overseas
Webpages | 25-05-2016
Review of ESIA for Bagan project, Myanmar
The NCEA has reviewed the preliminary ESIA for the Bagan multi-purpose beautification project. This project is initiated by the Myanmar Ministry of…
Webpages | 07-12-2015
NCEA support for SEA process and new EIA decree in Mozambique
The NCEA visited Mozambique and attended two meetings. The first was the public participation meeting on the proposed new EIA decree, organized by the…
Webpages | 26-01-2015
NCEA's visit to Rwanda
Kigali, Rwanda – 26-28 January 2015. The NCEA visited Kigali to follow up on several leads. The Netherlands Embassy is about to embark on a large…
Webpages | 15-01-2015
Publication: NCEA advisory report on ToR of Bagan river multi-purpose project, Myanmar
In the framework of the cooperation between the governments of Myanmar and the Netherlands, the NCEA advised on the ToR for the EIA of the Bagan river…
Webpages | 16-12-2014
NCEA contributions to SEA workshop in Beijing
As part of cooperation activities on SEA between China and the Netherlands, the NCEA contributed to a 2-day workshop on SEA for urban planning (see…
Webpages | 16-12-2014
Publication on SEA effectiveness in China and the Netherlands
In the past three years there has been an ongoing exchange on SEA between China and the Netherlands. One of the products of this co-operation was…
Webpages | 15-12-2014
Bagan river multi-purpose project in Myanmar
A project is planned in Myanmar to improve the navigability of the Irrawaddy river. The project also has a number of secondary objectives, such as the…
Webpages | 15-12-2014
SEA capacity development in Georgia
Last September, an association agreement was signed between the EU and Georgia. The introduction of SEA was identified as a priority for the country.…
Webpages | 02-12-2012
SEA for IWRM programme in Rwanda
Kigali/Kibuye, Rwanda – 2-7 December 2012. An NCEA expert group visited Rwanda, requested by the Netherlands Embassy, to advise on the scoping…