Spain

Legal Framework
Country: 
Spain
EIA Law: 
Law 21/2013 of 9 December 2013
Law Link: 
Link
EIA Guidelines or Other Guidance: 
Guidance and Directives
Guidance Link: 
Link
EIA Procedure
Projects Requiring EIA: 
Government projects
Private Projects
Abridged Assessments: 
No
Best Practices in Lieu of EIA: 
No
Who Conducts Screening: 
Government
Who Conducts Screening Detail: 
Royal Legislative Decree 1/2008 (as amended), Articles 6, 16
Criteria for Screening: 
List or appendix of project or activity types
Possible impact to, or adjacent to, a protected area
Criteria for Screening Detail: 
Royal Legislative Decree 1/2008 (as amended), Article 3 & Annexes I, II. Projects listed in Annex I require an EIA. Projects listed in Annex II or that may impact a Natura 2000 may require an EIA at the discretion of the authority. The screening decision must be made available to the public and meet the criteria in Annex III.
Who Prepares EIA: 
Project Proponent (with or without contractor)
Who Pays for EIA: 
Project Proponent
EIA Contractor Qualifications: 
No
Conflict of Interest: 
No
Terms of Reference: 
Yes
Terms of Reference Detail: 
"To determine the extent and level of detail of the environmental impact study, the environmental agency will consult the public authorities concerned about the initial project document. The consultation may be extended to other natural or legal persons, public or private, involved in the protection of the environment." Royal Legislative Decree 1/2008 (as amended), Articles 5(2), 8
Days for Decision Maker Review: 
90 days
Automatic Approval: 
No
Written Decision: 
Yes
Written Decision Detail: 
Royal Legislative Decree 1/2008 (as amended), Article 12
Authority to Impose Conditions: 
Yes
Authority to Impose Conditions Details: 
Royal Legislative Decree 1/2008 (as amended), Article 12(1)
Expiry of Decision: 
5 years (may vary if under jurisdiction of Autonomous Region)
Expiry of Decision Detail: 
Royal Legislative Decree 1/2008 (as amended), Article 14. However, "[t]he environmental agency may decide, at the request of the developer that this statement is still valid in the absence of substantial changes to the essential elements that have formed the basis for the assessment of environmental impact."
Financial Assurances or Bond: 
No
EIA Content
Interdisciplinary Team: 
No
Interdisciplinary Team Detail: 
The criteria is not discussed in the Spanish EIA law.
Range of Alternatives: 
Yes
Range of Alternatives Detail: 
Royal Legislative Decree 1/2008 (as amended), Article 7(1)(b)
No Action Alternative: 
No
No Action Alternative Detail: 
This criteria is not discussed in the Spanish EIA law.
Type(s) of Impact Analysis: 
Direct environmental impacts
Cumulative environmental impacts
Social impacts
Cultural impacts
Mitigation: 
Yes
Mitigation Detail: 
The EIA must contain measures planned to reduce, eliminate or compensate for significant environmental effects. Royal Legislative Decree 1/2008 (as amended), Article 7(1)(d)
Monitoring Plans: 
Yes
Monitoring Plans Detail: 
The EIA must contain an environmental monitoring program. Royal Legislative Decree 1/2008 (as amended), Article 7(1)(e)
Access to Information
Public Notice of Draft EIA: 
Yes
Draft EIA Available: 
Yes
Draft EIA Available Detail: 
Royal Legislative Decree 1/2008 (as amended), Article 9
Draft EIA Locations: 
Internet
Agency or ministry office
Public Notice of Final EIA Detail: 
Royal Legislative Decree 1/2008 (as amended), Article 12
Final EIA Available: 
Yes
Final EIA Available Detail: 
Royal Legislative Decree 1/2008 (as amended), Article 12
Final EIA Locations: 
Internet
Agency or ministry office
Fee to View EIA Documents: 
No
Fee to Obtain EIA Documents: 
Yes
Availability of Reference Studies: 
Yes
Availability of Reference Studies Detail: 
Royal Legislative Decree 1/2008 (as amended), Article 9
Public Notice of Final Decision: 
Yes
Public Notice of Final Decision Detail: 
"The decision on the authorization or approval of the project will be made public by the authority when it is adopted. . . . " Royal Legislative Decree 1/2008 (as amended), Article 15
Public Participation
Public Scoping: 
Yes
Public Scoping Detail: 
Royal Legislative Decree 1/2008 (as amended), Articles 8 & 9
Public Review of TOR: 
Yes
Public Review of TOR Detail: 
Royal Legislative Decree 1/2008 (as amended), Articles 5,9
Public Participation Opportunities: 
Scoping
Terms of reference
Review of draft EIA
Public Meetings and/or public hearings
Review of final EIA
Public Meetings: 
Yes
Public Meetings Detail:: 
Royal Legislative Decree 1/2008 (as amended), Article 9
Public Input at Meeting: 
Yes
Public Input at Meeting Detail: 
Royal Legislative Decree 1/2008 (as amended), Article 9
Criteria to Hold Public Meeting: 
Public meeting and/or hearing is automatically required
Days for Public to Review Draft EIA: 
30 days
Days for Public to Review Final EIA: 
Not specified
Public Comments on Draft EIA: 
Yes
Public Comments on Draft EIA Detail: 
Royal Legislative Decree 1/2008 (as amended), Article 9
Public Comments on Final EIA: 
No
Public Comments on Final EIA Detail: 
It is not clear whether members of the public are permitted to submit comments on a final EIA. The law only specifies that the final EIA must be made public. See Royal Legislative Decree 1/2008 (as amended), Article 12
Response to Public Comments: 
Yes
Response to Public Comments Detail: 
Results from the public information meetings and from public consults shall be taken into account by the project proponent and the relevant authorities. Royal Legislative Decree 1/2008 (as amended), Article 9
Facilitation of Public Participation: 
No
Judicial Review/Enforcement
Citizen Judicial Review: 
Yes
Citizen Judicial Review Detail: 
See Article 22 of Law 27/2006, of July 18, which regulates the rights of access to information, public participation and access to justice in environmental matters. http://www.elaw.org/system/files/es.Ley272006.pdf
Project Monitoring: 
Yes
Project Monitoring Detail: 
Royal Legislative Decree 1/2008 (as amended), Article 18
Modified: June 8th, 2020