ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the formal implementation of environmental impact assessment (EIA). It describes the common foundation of EIA in the United Kingdom and Germany that is the European Directive on EIA. The chapter outlines the national EIA systems in the United Kingdom and Germany. It presents a brief description of the evolution and the provisions of the 'Council Directive of 27 June 1985 on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment. The chapter discusses the history of EIA in the United Kingdom and describes the formal transformation of the European Directive into the planning control regime. EIA was made a component part of the existing development control procedures: 'EIA procedures neither precede nor run parallel to existing consenting procedures but are integral parts of the latter'. The United Kingdom and Germany have long established systems of development and pollution control.
