Accreditation Of Environmental Impact Assessment Consultant Companies In Cambodia
For businesses looking to receive accreditation as Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) consultants in Cambodia, the Cambodian Ministry of Environment (MoE) issued Prakas 08 in Q1 2024 which outlines the conditions and procedures for interested companies to apply.
The promulgation of the Environmental and Natural Resources Code dated 29 June 2023 (“Environmental Code”) and Prakas 08 came into effect in February 2024. The Prakas 08 establishes "a legal framework for the conditions, procedures, and qualifications that the EIA consultant companies must satisfy to obtain the accreditation in relation to EIA-related works," confirmed legal firm DFDL.
Successful applicants will receive a letter of approval (EIA license) which will be valid for five years from its issuance date, and renewable via a re-registration process within at least three months before its expiration date. Furthermore, the conditions under which the MOoE may suspend and revoke the accreditation of the EIA consultant companies are also laid out in the updates.
The Prakas 08 does seem to suggest that a foreign company is allowed to be registered and accredited to carry out the EIA consulting services. This is conditional to all eligibility, and qualification requirements being met. They would also need to cooperate with a licensed EIA consultant company to provide the EIA services in the Kingdom.
- The Prakas 08 does not clarify whether a foreign company is allowed to independently carry out EIA services or if there is any restriction or prohibition for the foreign company to apply for such a license.
- Only a company duly accredited by the MOE as a licensed EIA consultant company through a letter of approval is entitled to conduct research, studies, and preparation of EIA reports for clients in Cambodia.
What Are The Cambodia Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Consultants Accreditation Requirements - 2024
For the accreditation requirements, applicants must submit, among others, the following supporting documents (The MOE may require other supporting documents during the application submission process):
- Corporate documents (ideally, certificate of incorporation, articles of incorporation),
- Confirmation letter of the company’s address issued by the local authorities,
- The company’s structure,
- Company profile,
- Paying public service fees for accreditation by the MOE.
Cambodian Registered EIA Consultants
The MOE requires the EIA consultant company applicant to have the following to be considered in Cambodia:
- A corporate management structure that is composed at least of a director, a general manager, a technical team leader, a technical expert and a technical assistant that meet certain qualifications as detailed under Articles 11-15 of this Prakas.
- In case of any change of this composition, the company must submit a written notice to the MOE no later than 30 working days of the change.
- For compliance purposes, any EIA consultant company already registered with the MOE before August 2023 must obtain accreditation from the MOE.
The MOE is entitled to suspend the letter of approval for a period of six months to three years or revoke it if the EIA consultant company violates the provisions outlined in Prakas 08.
Thanks to DFDL Cambodia for this information. We recommend all firms seek legal advice from qualified legal counsel.