An environmental impact assessment for this large-scale infrastructure project should be elaborated and a hearing in Germany and Denmark be conducted. The public hearing process will be based on the elaborated EIA, including a description of the project, the construction principles and solutions, alternatives and environmental protection documentation. Authorities, non-governmental organizations as well as the general public will be involved in the hearing procedure.

Article 7 of Council Directive 85/337/EEC (Environmental Impact Assessment Directive), which is implemented in national Danish and German EIA law, also requires that the EU Member States should be notified about potential transboundary environmental implications and that transboundary consultation should be provided, based on the Environmental Impact Assessment. The opinions expressed in transboundary consultation shall duly be taken into account before granting the approval.

If, according to the EU bird protection and Habitat directives, areas included in the Natura 2000 network might be significantly affected, a respective impact assessment must also be carried out. That assessment serves to protect the European Natura 2000 ecological network as well as supporting the preservation of biodiversity.