Brussels, 29/10/2012 (Agence Europe) - On 26 October, the European Commission outlined proposals to streamline legislation on environmental impact assessments and introduce significant amendments to the directive on this issue (85/337/ EEC). The new rules will adjust procedures that determine whether an environmental assessment is needed and ensure that only projects with significant environmental impacts are subject to such an assessment, as well as projects with local impacts being approved more swiftly at lower cost, leaving authorities more time to focus on assessments of major projects with large-scale environmental impacts. In addition, impacts from alternative proposals will need more systematic consideration, and competent authorities will need to explain the reasons behind their decisions more clearly. Also, the new rules will streamline the various stages of the process by introducing timeframes and a new mechanism to ease the process when several assessments are required and several authorities involved. These proposals will now be examined by the European Parliament and the Council. (FG/transl.fl)