§3.2 Stage 2: Appropriate assessment

The purpose of the appropriate assessment is to assess the implications of the plan or project against the site’s conservation objectives, either individually or in combination with other plans or projects. The conclusions should enable the competent authorities to ascertain whether the plan or project will adversely affect the integrity of the site concerned. The focus of the appropriate assessment is therefore specifically on the species and/or the habitats for which the Natura 2000 site is designated. Article 6 Guide – section 4.6.1. The appropriate assessment applies both to projects and plans. It can be coordinated with, or integrated into, other environmental assessments, such as the environmental impact assessment (EIA) for projects, the strategic environmental assessment (SEA) for plans and programmes and assessments done in the context of the Water Framework Directive (see Section 5.2). As in the EIA and SEA processes, the plan or project developer usually submits an appropriate assessment report to the competent authority for scrutiny. If the assessment identifies negative impacts, or the likelihood of such effects, the developer may also bring in mitigation measures at this stage to reduce the impact. It is then the competent authority’s responsibility to ascertain whether the plan or project will adversely affect the integrity of the site concerned or not, and so whether the plan or project can be approved or not. The competent authority can also set conditions for approval and, if appropriate, obtain the opinion of the general public beforehand. Further information about consultation in the context of the appropriate assessment is provided in section 3.2.7. The assessment process will include collecting and assessing information from multiple stakeholders, including national, regional and local nature conservation authorities, scientific experts and NGOs. The competent authority can also use the information submitted by the plan or project developer to consult with internal and external experts and other stakeholders. There will be occasions where the competent authority may need to request further information to ensure that the final assessment is as comprehensive and objective as possible. It should be recalled that appropriate assessment must be sufficiently detailed and substantiated to demonstrate the absence of adverse effects, in light of the best existing scientific knowledge in the field. In summary, an appropriate assessment involves the following steps: 1. collecting information on the project and on the Natura 2000 site concerned; 2. assessing the implications of the plan or project in view of the site's conservation objectives, individually or in combination with other plans or projects; 3. ascertaining whether the plan or project can have adverse effects on the integrity of the site; 4. considering mitigation measures (including their monitoring). These steps may need to be implemented iteratively, with some steps revisited in response to the results of subsequent steps. Each step is described in the following sections. Further aspects, such as public consultation and ensuring the quality of appropriate assessments, are covered at the end of this chapter.

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-09-07