Under the treaty between Denmark and Germany as well as under national legislation, the project’s environmental impact must be assessed. The assessment also comprises international legislative requirements, including a requirement for consultation with the countries around the Baltic Sea. On behalf of the Danish Ministry of Transport, Femern A/S is undertaking these investigations which identify, describe and evaluate the project’s overall environmental impact.

Part of a general application
The environmental investigations are the pre-condition for Femern A/S’ subsequent EIA statement which is an important component of the overall project approval application to the German and Danish authorities.

The process means that Femern A/S describes the investigation programme in the form of a Scoping Report. The Danish Ministry of Transport sends the report out for public consultation in Denmark. In Germany, Landesbetrieb Strassenbau und Verkehr in Schleswig-Holtstein (LBV-SH) sends the report for consultation by the relevant authorities and environmental organisations entitled to take part in the hearing.

Once the consultancy process is completed in Denmark, the Ministry of Transport will prepare a consultation paper following discussions with the Minister of Environment during which the two ministers will consider the reactions to the consultations. The Scoping Report and the consultation paper will then provide the basis for the environmental investigation programme to be carried out by Femern A/S.

During the consultation period, a meeting will be held in Germany at which the relevant authorities and environmental organisations entitled to take part in the hearing will have the opportunity to comment on the report. The minutes of this meeting recording both answers and proceedings will be incorporated in the final environmental investigation programme.

The completed environmental investigations and assessments will be described in the EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment). In Germany, this is known as an UmweltVerträglichkeitsStudium, UVS.

The EIA report will then become part of the final application for the project’s approval in Germany and provide the basis for the construction act which, in Denmark, will approve the project’s design, alignment and conditions, including the environmental conditions.

Overview
All material is available to the public. Here is an overview:

• The Scoping Report itself is a large and fairly technical publication which details methods, content and extent of the environmental investigations. The report is available in four languages: Danish, English, German and Polish. The report can be downloaded here 
• The resumé is ten pages long and describes the report's most important elements. The short version is available in Danish, English, German, Polish, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Russian, Swedish and Finnish. Download the resumé here  
• Femern A/S is currently carrying out a series of investigations. You can read about the investigations and see some of the initial results on our website for the environmental programme. You will find this at www.femernenvironment.com
• A number of pre-investigations of the environment were implemented before Denmark and Germany signed the treaty for the Fehmarnbelt fixed link. These investigations are described in a report published in 2006. Download the 2006 report here 
• EIA is a statement as to how a project will impact on the surrounding environment based on the EU’s EIA directive. You can read more about EIA investigations at www.vvm.dk

Who is responsible?

The consultation process concerning the Scoping Report will be undertaken by the authorities in Denmark and Germany.

• The Ministry of Transport is responsible for the process in Denmark. Everyone is entitled to submit their response to the consultation process. Responses must be submitted no later than 6 September, 2010. The Scoping Report has been distributed to a number of authorities and stakeholder organisations. See the list here. The Ministry’s website: www.trm.dk
• The Agency for Spatial and Environmental Planning under the Ministry of the Environment is responsible for consultation with the Baltic nations. The report has been distributed to all Baltic nations. The agency’s website is: www.blst.dk
• In Germany, the Länder government of Schleswig-Holstein (Landesbetrieb Strassenbau und Verkehr Schleswig-Holstein) is responsible for the consultation process. Website: www.lbv-sh.de

Meetings in both countries
In August, 2010 the Ministry of Transport will hold a public meeting about the Scoping Report for Danish stakeholders and representatives of all the Baltic Sea nations. The meeting will take place at Hotel Maribo Søpark in Maribo. The meeting is public, but registration is necessary. When registration for the meeting opens, it will be available on this website and at www.trm.dk.

In Germany, a meeting is held at which only the relevant authorities and environmental organisations entitled to take part in the hearing will have the opportunity to comment on the report.