ABSTRACT
From the perspective of international law, the most important EIA norms are those
that deal w ith the potential inter-state transboundary impacts of proposed large-scale
stationary activities. Although international law already regulates certain aspects of
how states’ national environmental protection systems must operate, its main task, at
least in the Arctic context, is still the resolution of transboundary problems. As was
shown in the previous chapter, the most important environmental management
procedures for such situations in the Arctic are the two UN ECE Conventions, the
more significant being the Espoo Convention.1086 Before studying more specifically
the content o f the Espoo Convention, it will be necessary to examine the development
o f the idea o f a transboundary EIA procedure. Thereafter, the chapter studies scope
and content o f the Espoo Convention in detail, and, finally, discusses the future
prospects for the Espoo Convention in the Arctic.
