This Act provides general rules for environmental impact assessment in Finland. The purpose of the Act is to promote environmental impact assessment and a consistent approach to such assessment in planning and decision-making, access to information and public participation. The Act consists of 40 sections divided into seven Chapters: General provisions (1); Decision on the application of the environmental impact assessment procedure in individual cases (2); Environmental impact assessment procedure (3); Consideration of the environmental impact assessment in authorization procedures and in authorizations (4); Transboundary environmental impact (5); Miscellaneous provisions (6); Entry into force (7). The Act implements provisions of Directive 2011/92/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment (as amended) and the Directive 2003/35/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council providing for public participation in respect of the drawing up of certain plans and programmes relating to the environment and amending with regard to public participation and access to justice Council Directives 85/337/EEC and 96/61/EC. The Act shall also apply to Finland's EEZ.
Section 2 defines, among other things, "environmental impact assessment". This shall concern, among other things, matters regarding climate change and nature conservation (notably matters regulated by Council Directive 92/43/EEC on conservation of habitats and wild fauna and flora). Schedule 1 lists the types of projects and changes to projects to be assessed by an environmental impact assessment procedure. Environmental impact assessment may be also carries out under other legislation, but sections 15-21, 23 and 24 of this Act shall be observed. The Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment shall decide if the EIA procedures shall be applied. The Ministry of Environment shall be responsible in respect of EIA for transboundary projects.