The strategic environmental assessment is a systematic procedure for evaluating the environmental impact of a policy, plan or programme.

The aim of this assessment is to integrate environmental aspects into public planning, in order to avoid, from the earliest stages of its design and development, that the actions foreseen in a plan or programme may have negative effects on the environment.

This procedure encourages the participation of the administrations concerned and the interested public. It is of great value as a channel for public participation in order to integrate and adequately address environmental concerns.

The strategic environmental assessment is carried out in accordance with Directive 2001/42/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 June 2001 on the assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes on the environment 

Within the framework of the preparation of the Interreg VI-B SUDOE programme, the strategic environmental assessment is carried out within the legal framework of the promoting National Authority, namely the General Directorate of European Funds of the Ministry of Finance and Public Administration of the Government of Spain, so that the environmental treatment of this instrument will be carried out within the framework of Law 21/2013, of 9 December, on Environmental Assessment, taking into account through cross-border consultations with other member countries, in accordance with the provisions of Article 49 of this legal text.

The texts currently in force in the countries participating in the SUDOE regarding strategic environmental assessment are the following

• Spain: Ley 21/2013, de 9 de diciembre, de evaluación ambiental.
• France: Loi n° 2010-788 du 12 juillet 2010 portant engagement national pour l'environnement et l’ Ordonnance n° 2016-1060 du 3 août 2016 portant réforme des procédures destinées à assurer l'information et la participation du public à l'élaboration de certaines décisions susceptibles d'avoir une incidence sur l'environnement
• Portugal: Decreto-Lei nº 232/2007, Estabelece o regime a que fica sujeita a avaliação dos efeitos de determinados planos e programas no ambiente, transpondo para a ordem jurídica interna as Directivas nºs 2001/42/CE, do Parlamento Europeu e do Conselho, de 27 de Junho, e 2003/35/CE, do Parlamento Europeu e do Conselho, de 26 de Maio de 15 de junio, modificado por el Decreto-Lei nº 58/2011, Estabelece de divulgação de informação relativa à avaliação ambiental, procedendo à primeira alteração ao Decreto-Lei n º 232/2007, de 15 de Junho, que estabelece o regime a que fica sujeita a avaliação dos efeitos de determinados planos e programas no ambiente.

The strategic environmental assessment was launched on 8 July 2022 on the basis of the draft cooperation programme and in the light of the strategic environmental document and its summary document.

On 31 October 2022, the Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico published the statement of the strategic environmental report of the Sudoe 2021-2027 programme.

These documents can be downloaded below: