The Workshop on Improving Assessment of the Environment in Impact Assessment, which will be held in Brussels on 15 January 2007, takes place within the current project “Improving Assessment of the Environment in Impact Assessment” commissioned by DG Environment .

Impact Assessment is a process to improve policy design - making sure that objectives are achieved in ways that maximise benefits whilst minimising costs. One of the ways it does this is by playing an integration role and ensuring that impacts from other policy areas are taken account of in decision-making. As such, Impact Assessment is potentially a key tool for making Sustainable Development a reality.

This is a time of fast change for Impact Assessment systems in Europe. An increasing number of Member States are implementing, or plan to implement, their own Impact Assessment systems, mirroring what is already taking place in the Commission and in a small number of Member States. The question is how best to do this to ensure that they systematically assess the economic, social and environmental impacts of new legislation as part of an integrated process.

At the Workshop the findings of the project will be presented and discussed. The aim of the workshop is to bring together relevant stakeholders, like EU and Member State impact assessment practitioners and experts , to share their experiences and views on how to improve consideration of environmental impacts in impact assessments. Based on the project’s findings, suggestions will be made on how to improve consideration of environmental impacts within impact assessment.