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Conference 2022

The „Environmental Assessments and the European Green Deal '22“, fifth European and regional conference, was held on 14-17 September 2022 in the Olympia Sky Hotel in Vodice, Croatia. The Conference was organized by the Croatian Association of Experts in Nature and Environmental Protection (HUSZPO), under the auspices of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of the Republic of Croatia and the Ministry of Regional Development and the EU Funds.

The Conference was held with the support of the Croatian Engineering Association (HIS), International Association for Impact Assessment, in partnership with the UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe) Secretariat for the Espoo Convention and the Protocol on SEA, Association of Environmental Assessment Consultants (SKOS, Poland), the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology of the University of Zagreb and Opole University, Poland.

The Conference established partnership with the European Investment Bank (EIB), as well as with th Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK), Economic-Interest Association Renewable Energy Sources of Croatia (OIEH), Croatian Business Council for Sustainable Development (HRPSOR) and Croatian Employers’ Association (HUP).

The 4 previous regional conferences (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019) on Environmental Impact Assessment were extremely successful, and this year's Conference also achieved significant success gathering over 300 participants from 15 countries of the region and EU.

The first panel discussion on "European Green Deal – implications for decision-making processes“ reached the conclusion that the Green Deal was complex and presented a great challenge, but its objectives can be reached with intersectoral cooperation and support of all the stakeholders in the system, and that by increasing RES share by 45% by 2030, the EU can achieve its climate goals.

The second plenary panel focused on EU Taxonomy Regulation, both on classification and publishing and reporting, while the third panel addressed application of DNSH principles as a precondition for EU investments. Sustainable financing should in the end lead to long-term increase in sustainable economic activities and projects. That is why investments should be redirected towards sustainable techniques and technologies, sustainable long-term development activities contributing to low-carbon and climate change resilient economies.

The topics instigated numerous questions and enticed discussions, with the fourth panel discussion named Biodiversity and Natura2000 management priorities addressed decision levels in Strategic Environmental Assessment and Appropriate Assessment procedures. The Integration of sustainable investment policies into impact assessment systems, regulations and practice started the discussion on the necessity to adopt new regulations and concluded that there was no need to implement rash solutions which might jeopardise or harm the EIA or SEA systems which have been built by now.

Apart from panel discussions, the Conference also had parallel sections grouped according to specific topics where about 80 presentations were held, and a poster section with over 20 posters.

We hereby thank the sponsors, partner organisations, board members,authors, key note speakers, panelists, moderators, participants and all involved for their contribution to making this Conference possible.

We would also like to give special acknowledgement to sponsors without the financial support of which this Conference could not have been organised.