EU Parliament votes to criminalise cases “comparable to ecocide”
Summary:
The European Parliament has today voted through a new environmental crime directive, which includes provision to criminalise cases ‘comparable to ecocide’.
A landmark political agreement was reached on the new crime directive in November 2023, following months of negotiation between the European Council, Commission and Parliament
The European Parliament, along with the Parliament’s rapporteur on the directive, Netherlands MEP Antonius Manders, have been at the centre of efforts to secure new EU legislation aimed at preventing and punishing the most severe environmental harms since it announced its support for the inclusion of “ecocide” in the new directive in March 2023.
To complete its legislative journey, the new directive will be subject to a vote by the European Council, scheduled to take place next month (March).
Member states will then have 24 months, via the so-called ‘transposition’ process, in which to align national legislation with the directive.
You can see the official text adopted by the European Parliament here.
Jojo Mehta, Co-founder and CEO of Stop Ecocide International, said:
“The historic ruling from the EU to include ecocide-level crimes in its revised crime directive shows leadership and compassion, and will strongly reinforce existing environmental laws across the region. It will establish a clear moral as well as legal “red line”, creating an essential steer for European industry leaders and policy-makers going forward.
“The EU Parliament showed true ambition back in March 2023 by championing the inclusion in EU law of criminal provision aimed at preventing and punishing the gravest environmental harms. Today’s vote sees the Parliament sign and seal this remarkable new piece of legislation.
“That we now have political agreement on the revised crime directive has major implications, not only for environmental safeguarding in Europe, but for humanity: it connects the regional to the global, an immensely strong signal of political support for international legal recognition of ecocide that will be felt around the globe.“