Environmental Assessment Report of the Interreg 2021-2027 South-East Finland – Russia Programme
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Environmental assessment report of the Interreg 2021-2027 South-East Finland – Russia Programme President _____________________ Mr. Nikolay Matsukov St-Petersburg 2021 Interreg 2021-2027 South-East Finland-Russia programme Environmental report Brukhanov A.U., Matsukov N.N., Vorobyeva E.A., Vasilev E.V., Oblomkova N.S. SPA ISH Version 30 June 2021 2 The Interreg 2021-2027 South-East Finland - Russia Programme is undergoing a strategic environmental assessment (SEA). The SEA procedure includes several phases: determination of the scope of the environmental assessment, preparation of an environmental report, which includes an assessment of risks from the implementation of the program, consultations / public hearings with environmental authorities and other stakeholders on the content of the environmental report, preparation of the SEA report based on the results of consultations / public hearings. One of the main parts of the SEA is the assessment of possible environmental risks and consequences during the implementation of the program. The task of the experts preparing the report is to assess how ecologically important problems for the region are reflected in the preparation of the program and how they will be taken into account in its further implementation. Such an assessment and the final recommendations of the SEA are extremely relevant, as they are taken into account when developing the final version of the program. 3 Content Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 5 1.1. The SEA process ........................................................................................................................ 6 1.2. Identification of nature protection authorities in the programme area in the Russian Federation ....................................................................................................................................... 7 1.3 The legislation regarding SEA for CBC 2021-2027 Programme ................................................. 9 1.4. Uncertainties and unexpected factors ................................................................................... 10 2.Brief description of the Programme ........................................................................................... 11 2.1. Relations to other relevant programmes and strategies ....................................................... 12 3. Existing environmental problems and trends ........................................................................... 17 3.1. Social and economic development trends in St Petersburg and the Leningrad region ......... 17 3.2. Environmental trends ............................................................................................................. 17 3.3. Environmental risks in the area covered by the Programme ................................................. 19 3.3.1. Environmental conditions in the Russian part of the area covered by the Programme .... 19 3.4. Environmental impact from the Programme implementation .............................................. 30 3.5. Environmental risk assessment matrix ................................................................................... 32 3.6. Consequences of the proposed programme .......................................................................... 42 4. Comparing the alternatives ....................................................................................................... 46 5. Recommendations ..................................................................................................................... 47 6. Monitoring ................................................................................................................................. 47 Annex 1 .......................................................................................................................................... 48 4 Introduction The EU territorial cooperation programme (Interreg) is the instrument of cohesion policy designed to address problems and challenges that transcend national boundaries and require common solutions. The Interreg 2021-2021 South-East Finland-Russia Programme will be funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI), Finland and Russia. The Programme supports sustainable development of the Programme area and builds mutual trust in the regions. It gives opportunities for local communities to provide a higher level of environmental protection and integration of environmental aspects into development plans and programmes to achieve sustainability. A significant environmental effect will be produced in the Programme within the Programme implementation period and afterwards. It is the reason for the Managing Authority and of the Programme and national authorities to apply to carry out a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) for the Programme. The St. Petersburg regional public organization "Association of Agricultural Engineers - SPA ISH" has won the tender for the SEA for the Russian part of the program. Currently, the national legislation of the Russian Federation uses the concept of EIA (environmental impact assessment). The purpose of the EIA is to identify, analyse and include direct, indirect and other effects of environmental impact of the planned economic and other activities in order to make a decision on the possibility or impossibility of its implementation (Article 1 No. 7-ФЗ "On Environmental Protection"). The Regulation of EIA was approved by the Order of the State Committee for Environmental Protection dated May 16, 2000, No. 372, from September 1, 2021, to September 1, 2027, new requirements for the materials of environmental impact assessment will be in force. SEA definitely has a broader scope than EIA. The principles of state policy in the field of the environmental development of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2030 contain articles on the need for a regulatory framework for the implementation and application of SEA. By Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 176 dated April 19, 2017, the Environmental Safety Strategy of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2025 was approved. Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of programs for the development of Russian regions is named in it as one of the main mechanisms for the implementation of a state environmental policy. In carrying out this expert assessment, the contractor was guided by the national legislation in terms of EIA, as well as methodological approaches and practical examples of SEA development presented in the Russian Federation. 5 1.1. The SEA process The purpose of defining the scope of the SEA is to focus on the environmental effects that are the most relevant for the programme. Scoping includes the geographical area and time scale for the assessment. The scope shall also propose reasonable alternatives on environmental effects to the proposed programme that will be assessed in the SEA report. The SEA process will include two stages: Scoping of the SEA; Preparation of the Environmental report. Consultations with environmental authorities and the public are expected within both stages of the SEA. The scoping as a first stage of the environmental assessment is necessary to focus on the environmental impact of the programme implementation. The existing documentation and the draft Interreg 2021-2027 South-East Finland-Russia Programme documents have been reviewed to prepare the scoping of the SEA report. Geographically, the environmental assessment is limited to the programme area of the Interreg 2021-2027 South-East Finland – Russia Programme area, see Fig. 1. The timeframe for the assessment is until 2030 because the main strategical documents for the development of the territory have have been elaborated up to that year. The structure of the SEA will be established in accordance with the overall goals (Policy objectives, Interreg Specific Objectives, and specific objectives) of the Programme and contains following items: Waste, hazardous substances Soil and land use Water (the sea, fresh water, groundwater) Air pollution Climate change Biodiversity (flora, fauna, forests, ecosystems, protected areas) Population and health (including gender issues) 6 1.2. Identification of nature protection authorities in the programme area in the Russian Federation An important phase is to approach the relevant official bodies and stakeholders. Federal Authorities 1. The North-Western Department of Rosprirodnadzor – provision of state environmental supervision, issuing of licenses on waste processing; issuing of waste disposal limits; determination of norms of emissions into the atmosphere or bodies of water; approval of toxic waste profiles; administration of payments for environmental damage; collection of statistical reports. State environmental supervision (control) over the activities that cause harm to the environment or those that shall be supervised at a federal level. 2. St-Petersburg and the Leningrad region offices of The Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor St-Petersburg; Rospotrebnadzor Leningrad region) – supervision and control in the area of responsibility; sanitary and epidemiological audits of land use projects, projects of emissions limit norms, construction and development projects, waste disposal projects. 3. North-West office of