AbstractComparison of Licensing Procedures for Chemical Plant in Europe. In many European countries, licensing procedures for chemical plants are at present less laborious – much less, in some cases – than in Germany. In the countries of Southern Europe, in particular, the building license is granted separately from the operating license, enabling building work to begin at an early stage. On the one hand, processing periods and official management are able to facilitate and expedite the proceedings; on the other hand, increasingly complex approval procedures, such as the obtaining of a license under the German Federal Pollution Control Act, with an additional environmental impact assessment compatibility, result in further serious delays. The proposed EC Directive on the harmonization of licensing procedures will admittedly bring equality in terms of expense, procedure and duration, but Germany is likely to continue to play a pioneering role in plant‐related environmental protection, and hence also in the implementation of the licensing procedure, for a considerable period to