Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

These amendments have been made to strengthen the Transboundary Convention and bring additional states into scope that are not EU member states, such as the United Kingdom. The Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context, which is informally known as the Transboundary Convention or Espoo Convention, sets out the obligations of states parties to assess the environmental impact of certain activities at an early stage of planning and also provides a general obligation on states to notify and consult each other on all major projects under consideration that are likely to have a significant adverse environmental impact across boundaries.

All EU member states and the United Kingdom are states parties to the Transboundary Convention. The Bill, as amended in the Dáil, gives effect to transboundary consultation requirements with specific provision made in respect of works that may affect the environment in other transboundary states.