The draft federal law On Ratifying the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context has been drawn up by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment pursuant to the President’s instruction of June 20, 2011, which was issued as a result of a meeting of the State Council of the Russian Federation on June 9, 2011.

Approved by the President on April 30, 2012, the foundations of state policy in the area of the environmental development of Russia until 2030 aim to meet the challenge of preventing or reducing any negative impact on the environment and improving the procedure for and methodology of environmental impact assessment (hereinafter, EIA) and its consideration in the process of decision-making at all levels, including harmonising the assessment procedure with international agreements signed by the Russian Federation and creating the legal framework for strategic environmental assessment.

The Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (hereinafter the Convention on EIATC) is a basic international agreement regulating the EIA of planned business operations which are likely to have a negative environmental impact on neighbouring countries.

Russia’s positive experience in preparing EIA documentation within the framework of the EIATC Convention for the Nord Stream project shows that Russian legislation on the whole makes it possible to implement the requirements contained in this international agreement.

Russia’s ratification of the EIATC Convention will create additional legal grounds for the implementation of transboundary investment projects similar to Nord Stream. In addition, it will make it possible to detect and preclude environmentally dangerous projects in neighbouring countries of Russia.

The draft law will be considered at a Government meeting.