The Czech Republic and Romania present two very different levels of development of environmental impact assessment ( EIA ) , even though both countries gained their independence in the same year (1989) and both have aspirations to join the European Union (EU). This article examines the various driving forces for EIA legislation, analyses the different EIA concepts and identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the two regimes. While the Czech Republic introduced an EIA Act in 1992 (based mainly on the EC Directive 851337jEEC), Romania has yet to draft any ElA-specific legislation. Furthermore, the concept of EIA in Romania is very different to that in the Czech Republic and the EU. While all indicators suggest that the Romanian EIA system is ineffective, little research has so far been carried out to verify this. The Czech Republic, by contrast, shares many weaknesses of its EIA system with those of EU countries. Both share common problems of many Central and Eastern European countries, including low or variable public environmental awareness, an immature NGO movement (but gaining in strength and experience), a history of minimal public involvement in decision-making, and internal conflicts within government which inhibit the development of EIA and wider environmental legislation.
European Energy and Environmental Law Review