Strategic Environmental Assessment as an Instrument for Sustainable Development of the Danube Corridor Through Serbia

Abstract

Strategic environmental assessment is one of the most important instruments for the implementation of sustainable development strategy in spatial planning in general. Given the importance of the Danube corridor in ecological, economic and social terms, as well as the fact that it is a significant corridor for international navigation, it is important to consider the significance and possibilities of applying SEA in planning the sustainable spatial development of this area. This paper presents the methodological framework for applying the SEA carried out for the needs of the Spatial Plan, in particular for the section of the Danube corridor passing through the Republic of Serbia. The paper focuses on the inclusion of all aspects of sustainable development in the SEA process, especially when conducting qualitative multi-criteria evaluation of the planning solutions. The results obtained indicate that the impacts (positive and negative) of the planned activities provide a basis for making decisions that should enable sustainable development of the planning area.