|
|
|
|
|
Executive Summary
PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES.
BEACON (Building Environmental Assessment Consensus on the TEN-T) is a Thematic Network, entirely funded by the European Commission, DG TREN, within the 5th Framework Programme of RTD.
It addresses the broad issue of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of transport infrastructure, notably in relation with the application of the EU Directive 2001/42/EC (usually referred to as "the SEA Directive")
As all Thematic Networks, BEACON does not aim at developing of original research, but rather at:
- Establishing a platform for discussion that, by bringing together all categories of involved stakeholders, can lead to achieving consensus on concepts, methodologies and practice of SEA applied to transport infrastructure
- Providing explicit opportunities to link research results to policy making
- Ensuring that the appropriate level of dissemination of research results is reached, notably targeting policy makers and practitioners.
In addition, BEACON aims at:
- Issuing methodological recommendations on SEA in the transport sector
- Identifying and illustrating examples of best practice in transport SEA
- Providing support to the implementation of SEA for selected sections of the TEN-T
ACTIVITIES
In order to achieve the above objectives, BEACON has - over the two years of its lifetime - developed the following main activities.
- Organisation of 2 Workshops, 1 Conference, and a series of technical meetings involving experts, representatives of Member States (in both the transport and environment administrations) and of the European Commission
- Drafting, discussion and circulation of a large number of technical papers covering all aspects of SEA, providing both methodological and practical insights as well as an updated account of the state-of-the-art across the EU
- Production of a large number of Deliverables, which present and summarise the results of the state-of-the-art analyses carried out by the Consortium, and incorporate the findings of the discussions staged during the Workshops, the Technical Meetings and the Final Conference
- Establishment and continuous updating of a dedicated website on transport SEA, to serve as a unique reference in the field
- Revision of the Transport SEA Manual issued by DG TREN in 1999, and drafting of an updated and largely revised version of the latter
- Contribution to the scoping of selected TEN-T corridors, also to illustrate the potentialities of SEA in transport infrastructure planning
MAIN RESULTS ACHIEVED
Results achieved notably include:
- An updated, comparative appraisal of the current state of development of SEA across the EU (illustrated in the relevant Deliverables and in selected Technical Papers)
- The achievement of consensus (within the BEACON network, which includes representatives of both the research and the policy community, from a large number of EU Member States) on a variety of critical issues associated to the adoption of SEA in the transport sector (illustrated in the "statements" issued at the end of each main BEACON event)
- The production of the new Transport SEA Manual, reflecting the above consensus
- The demonstration, through selected examples, of how SEA can support transport planning, notably in the framework of the TEN-T development (illustrated in the relevant Deliverable)
USEFULNESS OF RESULTS AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES
BEACON has already been able to demonstrate the usefulness of its results, as shown by:
- The high level of participation of National Representatives to the discussions staged during the BEACON events. The success of SEA is largely dependent on the level of participation it generates, which should thus be considered as an intrinsic measure of success
- The positive feedback received from the network, reflected in the achievement of consensus (one of the main goals of BEACON at the outset)
- The approval of the new Manual, which was formally presented to the TEN-T Committee, drawing highly positive feedback and leading to the adoption of the Manual as the recommended reference for transport SEA in the EU
Future exploitation is directly geared to:
- The diffusion and extensive adoption of the Manual, as the preferred means to foster the application of the "SEA Directive"
- The consolidation and promotion of the BEACON website, which should become a unique resource for the transport SEA community
- The consolidation of the BEACON network, as the privileged discussion forum on the future developments of transport SEA.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
