Perspectives of Strategic Environmental Assessment in Countries with Communist Past

In order to identify and analyze the factors affecting successful introduction of SEA in Moldova and Romania, the author analyzed available information on SEA evolution and integration. She studied its development depending on factors such as social, economic and political, surveying the relevant available hard and Internet sources for this purpose. For a better understanding of the SEA integration difficulties the author interviewed the responsible decision-making authorities of the respective countries. Based on the list of factors resulted from the literature survey and the interviews, was elaborated a set of recommendations. The results showed that a successful introduction of SEA in countries with a communist past can be done only through the influence of Western countries (source of inspiration, finance, training, and guidance) and under their rigorous monitoring. Democratic values, like transparency, freedom of expression and access to information are prerequisite, while corruption and bureaucracy are a real obstacle for the SEA implementation. Also, having guidance and good training is crucial, firstly for the understanding of SEA, and secondly to implement it correctly.