/ Two years of experience with EIA in Flanders (northern Belgium) was evaluated in order to gain perspective on the effectiveness of the administrative procedure. The four essential characteristics of the EIA procedure that were evaluated are: completeness, open and public character, objectivity, and verifiability. Representatives of all parties involved in the EIA procedure were interviewed. The result of the evaluation is a list of major problems with EIA. Recommendations for a more efficient procedure are suggested at a time when a proposal for a new, comprehensive, and permanent EIA decree is being discussed. The evaluation of the administrative procedure for EIA in Flanders shows that several vital characteristics of the EIA procedure are lacking. This reduces the obligatory and open nature of the process, resulting in insufficient guarantees that the environment receives the attention it deserves during the decision-making process.Environmental impact assessment (EIA) in the European Communities is regulated by the European Communities' Council Directive (85/337/EEC) of 27 June 1985. This directive made it mandatory for the member states to have national E|A legislation by July 1988. Belgium did not implement tile council directive in time, a result of the ongoing and very complicated federalization process in tile country. On 23 March 1989, the government of the Flemish region in Belgium passed temporary legislation requiring EIA for projects that could have an effect on the environment. This temporary legislation is incorporated into the existing regulations for issuing of building permits and of exploitation permits for specific nuisance establishments.Belgium, a country of only 30,500 square kilometers with a population of 10 million is located in the center of the European Community. It has been evolving from a unitary state into a federalized struc-KEY WORDS: Environmental impact assessment; Evaluation;Flanders; Belgium *Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.ture with not only three major communities (Flemish-, French-, and German-speaking) but also three different regions (the Walloon, the Flemish, and the Brussels capitol regions). The central state has transferred autonomous powers to the communities and regions, a process that often creates severe political tension. For the EIA legislation too, both national and regional authorities disputed each other's competence for a long time. Finally, under pressure of the deadline set in the European Communities' directive, the regions were given authority for environmental impact statements (EIS). As a consequence, each of the three Belgian regions is developing its own distinct EIA legislation (Devuyst and others 1991a). Moreover, there are actions that are subject to EIA--such as nuclear power stations--that remain under national authority. At this time, only Flanders and WalIonia have an operational EIA legislation. Brussels and the national government are in violation of the European environmental legislation. The Flemish governmen...

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