Recognition of ecocide at EU level is accelerating

The EU Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (“LIBE”) has just voted in support (NB final text still pending publication) of including a crime of ecocide into the Directive on protection of the environment through criminal law, currently under revision. The committee’s recommendations include introduction of a crime of ecocide with a corresponding definition based on that of the Independent Expert Panel (June 2021) convened by the Stop Ecocide Foundation.  Specific recommended sanctions are 10 years imprisonment (natural persons) and 12-23% of turnover (legal persons i.e. companies).

While last week’s Council of Europe resolution does not oblige its 46 member states (nor indeed the 27-state EU) to legislate for ecocide - the Council of Europe is a separate non-legislating body - it will undoubtedly have a bearing on the EU discussions, as will its recommendation to the Committee of (Foreign) Ministers of those 46 states.

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