Since its introduction in 1993, the PERS has consolidated its legal
basis by an amendment of the Framework Act on Environmental
Policy in 1999, and has been applied to some of the major plans and
programs ever since. The importance of precautionary environmental
management policies, plus increasing social demand on PERS implementation,
has grown rapidly. To meet the demand, the government
has established its policy direction for implementation of SEA by enhancing
the scope, objectivity and expertise of the PERS, and the legal basis for
the PERS was amended in 2005. Table 2 provides a brief chronology of
the start of this more strategic approach.