Environmental Law (General Provisions)Act

This law establishes a permit system for activities that affect the physical environment. It is applicable to the construction, maintenance, or decommissioning of any structure and enables members of the public and companies to use one procedure to apply to one competent authority for permits for activities that impact the physical environment. 

An application must be submitted to the relevant competent authority, either the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water or provincial or municipal authority, where an environmental permit may be granted (Article 2.5). When considering the environmental permit, the competent authority can only rely on data and information not older than two years and must take a decision within eight weeks for a standard procedure, and within six months for an extended procedure (for projects that have more complex environmental or fire safety aspects, including mining projects and facilities). 

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