§5.1 Example: Planning of highways in Austria

Highways Planning in Austria – Screening and appropriate assessment The planning of highways in Austria follows three different project phases, which determine the need of an appropriate assessment iteratively. Phase 1 (‘Voruntersuchung’ or ‘Korridoruntersuchung’) identifies potential conflict-bearing zones within the investigated area, to exclude corridors with intolerable effects and high risk of not being approved, respectively. Special attention is given to protected areas, including Natura 2000 areas. Results of phase 1 are a preliminary selection of possible variations of the project and the investigation programme for phase 2. The requirement of carrying out an appropriate assessment is normally recognized in this stage (screening phase). Phase 2 (‘Vorprojekt’ or ‘Variantenuntersuchung’) identifies the sensitivity of habitats and species in the different possible variations of the project and predicts the possible effects of these on the environment. According to internal national requirements (RVS* (5)) detailed surveys regarding an appropriate assessment are required in this phase. This intends to guarantee the earliest possible consideration of species and habitats under EU protection. At the end of that phase one possible variation of the project is chosen. Phase 3 (‘Einreichprojekt’) contains the planning for the approval procedures. The potential effects of the chosen route on the environment are further specified and possible negative effects are mitigated by appropriate measures. The goal is an environmentally responsible, without impacts on site’s conservation objectives or protected species and legally approvable project plan. The advantages of early screening are the timely recognition of necessary legal procedures, in this case of an appropriate assessment or – in other cases – of a derogation procedure. Procedural risks are thus recognized early enough and avoidance strategies can be implemented. For the localization of potential areas of conflict, the standard data forms of the Natura 2000 sites, together with data from the national atlas of breeding birds, regional and local habitat surveys (as far as they are available and current) are used. The evaluation of the current situation and the possible effects also considers the Red Lists (national or provincial), data from the Article 17 report, national and provincial regulations regarding nationally protected species and other data available in the region. Additional monitoring data can be used where available, e.g. from species conservation projects or LIFE projects implemented in the region. Source: case study provided by ASFINAG

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