Generally, the question of development for each area or development policy is how we develop and build, and during that procedure, how we preserve the existing biodiversity, flora and fauna, cultural heritage, air and water quality, and the landscape. In recognition of the EU acquis in the field of environmental protection, Croatia has assumed the obligation to implement a Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment of Plans and Programs. Social benefit from Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment, as a practical way of special monitoring and assessing the impact of development activities on the environment, has proved to be very useful. It provides a possibility for the plans and programs makers to develop ideas that could be assessed while creating a document, enabling them to change the concepts and provide alternative proposals, which has not been a practice so far. The new Decree on Strategic Environmental Assessment of the impact of plans and programmes in Croatia prescribes the development of Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment, which introduces the environmental criteria in the processes of physical planning and development of sectoral strategies these processes have not been engaged in to such extent so far. This procedure brings the importance of environmental criteria and environmental sustainability plans and programs come into the focus while the entire social dialogue about the importance of environment in development becomes clear and meaningful.