Portuguese Single Environmental Licensing (LUA)
What is single environmental licensing?
The Single Environmental Licensing (LUA) system facilitates licensing procedures for companies by simplifying and coordinating the various environmental-related licensing requirements, under the motto: “one request, one certificate, one fee.”
Portugal’s economic growth and new sustainable development policies gave rise to a new challenge and a different type of commitment: applying innovative environmental measures.
A series of public service restructuring operations created the ideal scenario for conceiving the Single Environmental License (LUA), as stipulated in Decree-Law no. 75/2015, of 11 May, managed by the Portuguese Environmental Agency (APA).
This new procedure is a tool requiring coordination among the various institutions in charge of environmental matters and simplifies procedures to obtain the different regimes/licenses and to minimize all costs related with the slowness of procedures associated to a multiplicity of licenses.
LUA is applicable to any industrial, commercial or service activities related with utilization of water resources, waste management, industrial activities, hazardous substances and emissions.
The following regimes are covered:
- Legal Regime for Environmental Impact Assessment;
- Regime for the prevention of serious accidents;
- Regime for industrial emissions;
- Regime for greenhouse gas emissions trading;
- General regime for waste management;
- Regime for assigning permits for utilization of water resources;
- Legal regime for landfill waste deposits;
- Legal regime for licensing the setting up and operation of facilities of integrated centers for the recovery, reuse and elimination of hazardous waste;
- Legal regime for waste management of operations involving mineral deposits and mineral veins;
- Assessment procedures for environmental impacts.
The LUA process precedes the issuing of the Single Environmental Permit (TUA) by the respective coordinating entity. The permit stipulates all decisions and conditions in accordance with the applicable legal terms.
Konceptness supports the document compilation/mediation needs for the entire process to ensure the success of the single environmental licensing.
