• EIA cut down

    The Spanish government says it wants to cut back on environmental impact assessments to help the construction industry.

    The prime minister José-Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said new legislation approved in August will reduce the current average time taken for an EIA from 770 days o no more than six months ‘to remove a significant brake on road, high-speed rail and energy infrastructure’ which in turn would ‘accelerate investment in public works and stimulate growth’. The Commission says all parts of the EU EIA process must be completed, which would make it difficult to condense.