KESKKONNAMÕJU HINDAMISE PRAKTIKA JA ASJAOSALISTE OOTUSED 2010

This report, published by the Stockholm Environment Institute in April 2010, analyzes the practice of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) in Estonia. Based on a survey of 136 stakeholders, it identifies systemic weaknesses in competence, independence, quality, and effectiveness, noting that the role of the developer and expert has grown while the role of the supervisor and the protection of public interests have diminished.

• A significant majority of stakeholders believe the Estonian EIA/SEA system requires improvement, with 73% stating that while the system works, certain changes are necessary, and 24% calling for a thorough overhaul.
• The most critical problems in the process are the initial consideration of whether an assessment is needed and the subsequent motivation of that decision, cited by 61% of respondents as a primary issue.
• There is widespread perception of incompetence among stakeholders, particularly regarding decision-makers. Over 80% of respondents agree that the decision-maker is incompetent.
• Independence and impartiality are major concerns, especially for experts who are hired directly by developers. 80% of respondents believe the decision-maker is not independent, and 80% believe the expert is biased.
• The quality of expert work is viewed as low, particularly in Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA) and Natura 2000 assessments. Nearly 80% of experts themselves consider the general quality of expert work to be low.
• The effectiveness of the process is undermined by a lack of follow-up assessments (post-audits), which nearly 90% of respondents identify as a problem.
• Stakeholders suggest that to restore trust and objectivity, the role of the decision-maker should be strengthened and the direct contractual link between the developer and the expert should be severed, perhaps by having the decision-maker or supervisor mediate the contract.
• The average cost for a project-level EIA (KMH) is estimated between 100,000 and 150,000 kroons, while a Strategic Environmental Assessment (KSH) is higher, typically between 150,000 and 250,000 kroons.

APA

Peterson, K. (2010). KESKKONNAMÕJU HINDAMISE PRAKTIKA JA ASJAOSALISTE OOTUSED 2010. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/4353.pdf

Chicago

Peterson, Kaja. KESKKONNAMÕJU HINDAMISE PRAKTIKA JA ASJAOSALISTE OOTUSED 2010. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2010. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/4353.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Peterson |first1=Kaja |title=KESKKONNAMÕJU HINDAMISE PRAKTIKA JA ASJAOSALISTE OOTUSED 2010 |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=April 2010 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/4353.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{peterson2010keskkonnamju, author = {Peterson, Kaja}, title = {{KESKKONNAMÕJU HINDAMISE PRAKTIKA JA ASJAOSALISTE OOTUSED 2010}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2010}, month = apr, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/4353.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }