The influence of regulatory framework on environmental impact assessment in the development of offshore wind farms in Spain: Issues, challenges and solutions

The main proposed improvements consist of establishing a joint or coordinated processing of EIA with other assessments and procedures (such as the evaluations derived from birds and habitats directives); elaborating guidance documents which help promoters in analyzing synergistic and cumulative effects in their Environmental Impact Studies, hereafter EIS; enhancing the role of the scoping phase and, specially, considering the inclusion of this stage in the regulation of the simplified EIA procedure; improving public information and participation in the EIA process through the establishment of the obligation of disseminate relevant information through electronic means, the expansion of the legal concept of “interested persons” and the inclusion of public participation phases both in early stages of the procedure and after substantial modifications of the project or the study of EIA.