According to the Act on Environmental Impact Assessment of Projects and Plans law, certain programmes are subject to an environmental assessment. This applies to:

• Municipal plans i.e. regional plans, municipal master plans and local plans

• Regional marine spatial plans.

• Other programmes that are carried out by the government and which define the policy for projects covered by the law, such as Plans for Transmission grid, master plan for Nature Protection and Energy Utilization and transportation plan.

The provisions on environmental assessment of plans are both in the Act on Environmental Impact Assessment of Projects and Plans and in Article 12 of the Planning Act.