How is SEA Addressing Sustainability Principles?

According to the EU SEA Directive, strategic environmental assessment should contribute to the inte- gration of environmental considerations in plans and programs, with a view to promoting sustainable development. This paper presents the result of a review of SEA reports aimed at understanding if and how current practice is addressing sustainability principles. The review focuses on the methods, criteria and indicators used in the assessments, and on the extent to which they provide suitable information to support decision-making processes aimed at promoting sustainability, or at least environmental sustainability. Particular emphasis is given to the inclusion of key concepts, such as intra-generational and inter- generational equity, and on the associated analysis of trade-offs through time and space. Conclusions are drawn related to the inclusion of sustainability in different SEA contexts, and recommendations for future improvements are proposed.