(21/05/08) Plegers van milieudelicten voortaan overal in Europa strafrechterlijk vervolgbaar

• 2008-05-26

Vandaag nam het Europarlement voorstellen aan om plegers van milieudelicten overal in Europa strafrechterlijk te vervolgen.

Milieudelicten worden nu nog heel verschillend bestraft, waar je in de ene lidstaat voor het illegaal dumpen van afval een kleine administratieve boete krijgt, draai je er in een andere lidstaat de gevangenis voor in.

Greens/EFA welcome proposal to protect environment through criminal law

Reacting to the European Parliament's overwhelming support in favour of Directive on criminal sanctions to protect the environment(1), Monica Frassoni, shadow draftswoman and Co-President of the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament, said:

"We welcome this first ever proposal for a European Directive on criminal sanctions, which establishes that serious environmental offences should be considered criminal in the European Union, whether committed intentionally or through gross negligence. These include pollution of air, soil and water causing harm to people, flora and fauna, as well as serious cases of illegal shipment of waste.

The Greens succeeded in their opposition to any limited approach regarding protected habitats, flora and fauna and welcome this improvement to the first draft. However while the proposed Directive marks a positive first step, it is far from perfect. In particular we regret the limits imposed on the scope of the Directive by adding two Annexes with a list of Directives that define what is 'unlawful' under European environmental law.

Responsibility for implementing the Directive, as well as imposing and setting the level of fines for criminal damage to the environment, will be in the hands of Member States. We will closely follow their actions in this regard. Thanks to this Directive, Member States will no longer be able to systematically waive penalties for environmental crimes. This is definitely an important achievement."

(1) Today's vote on Hartmut Nassauer report (A6-0154/2008) Protection of the environment through criminal law