Acta Scientiarum Polonorum

The aim of the article is the analysis of the mythology of conducting an assessment of the impact of a building
investment in the area of Natura 2000. The areas of Natura 2000 is the newest form of the environmental
protection, introduced into the Polish legal system as a result of Poland joining the EU. There are delineated
in all the member states of the EU, with the aim of creating an ecological network of the most valuable natural areas, which strongly restricts the investors’ opportunities and ways of construction projects. The ignorance of the formal legal and methodological requirements accompanying the process of the assessment may result in the failure to obtain permission for the completion of the building project or the prolongation which is
required to prepare an investment for completion. In the article the stages of an assessment of the impact on
the Natura 2000 areas were determined and characterized from the viewpoint of the investor with the indication
of the newest changes which issue from the renewed act of parliament on giving access to information
on the environment, on the societal participation in the environmental protection, and on the assessment of
the environmental impact, and the potential threats to a positive decision for the investor. The methodological
shortcomings of the delineated stages which issue from the legal regulation were also indicated.