Sobre Aena - Environmental impact assessment (EIA) of projects

The Environmental Impact Assessment of projects (EIA) is an instrument enabling the preservation of natural resources and the defence of the environment by introducing the environmental variable into decision-making on projects which are predicted to have a significant impact on the environment.

In this regard, the legislation on strategic environmental assessment (SEA) on a national level is represented by Law 21/2013, of 9 December, for environmental assessment. This Law, for the first time, unifies the strategic environmental assessment of plans and programmes and the evaluation of projects’ environmental impact in a single regulation. Thereby establishing a similar scheme for both procedures and unifying its terminology.

Aena carries out an environmental assessment of its projects, and therefore provides greater reliability and trust in the decisions taken; a choice is permitted from different viable alternatives, in order to choose the one which, while safeguarding public interest, takes into account all the effects arising from the projected activity, from an overall, holistic viewpoint, ensuring adequate channels of information and public participation.

Finally, it should be noted that in order to ensure compliance with all the conditions set out in each Environmental Impact Statement for building projects, Aena carries out formal accreditation, with the environmental authority, of compliance with the administrative resolutions for which the society's construction projects are subjected to environmental impact assessment, in accordance with current legislation.

The resolutions obtained in this area may be found in the airports listed below.