Political consensus on ecocide law emerging in Belgium as elections near

Written By Robin Gairdner

Summary:

  • In run-up to June 9th elections, Flemish and Walloon political parties have been surveyed on a host of issues. 

  • The survey, conducted by a coalition of Belgian environmental organisations and sent to all key political parties, included a question about support for amending the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court to include a new crime of ecocide.

  • Overall, parties showed significant support for environmental proposals, with parties PS, Ecolo, Les Engagés, Défi, PTB, PVDA, Groen, and Vooruit advocating strongly for international ecocide recognition and legally binding standards for companies, indicating significant progress since the last election.

Against a backdrop of growing concern about environmental degradation and the urgent need for action, Belgium recently took an important step in with the adoption of a new criminal code, which includes the international crime of ecocide. Ahead of the upcoming elections on June 9th, a coalition comprising some of Belgium's most prominent environmental organisations, including Canopea, Greenpeace, Natagora, Bond Beter Leefmilieu, and Natuurpunt, has been actively engaging with Flemish and Walloon political parties to assess their policy stances on various issues.

In response to 38 proposals submitted to the parties, there was notable consensus on ecocide law. Parties including PS, Ecolo, Les Engagés, Défi, PTB, PVDA, Groen, and Vooruit expressed strong support for establishing recognition of ecocide as an international crime and setting legally binding standards for companies, emphasising the importance of new legislation in protecting ecosystems and local populations. Ecolo expressed the most ambitious engagement with the proposals, outlining a desire to broaden the definition of ecocide to cover regional jurisdictions and acts of negligence with serious environmental consequences.

In their own words:

PS: “We share the concerns of environmental organisations and wish to include international recognition of ecocide in the federal government's negotiations and in the next government agreement.” 

PTB/PVDA: “Respect for environmental rights must not depend on the goodwill of a company, for which maximising profits is the priority. This is why the PTB supported the proposal to recognise ecocide."

Ecolo: "Ecolo wishes to broaden the scope of the definition of the crime of ecocide, in particular to regional matters, and to aim for greater awareness of this crime at European and international level, and therefore its inclusion in the Rome Statute(...)This definition must also prevail At the same time, we also want to extend the powers of the European Public Prosecutor's Office to the fight against environmental crime."

Les Engagés: "We are, of course, totally in line with this statement, and our programme includes the following measure:"Fight impunity for environmental crimes at global level and pave the way, within the International Criminal Court, for ecocide to be recognised as an international crime under the Rome Statute".

Vooruit: "For Vooruit, it is clear: serious environmental damage is not only a crime against nature, it also threatens a prosperous existence. Every act of ecocide upsets the delicate balance of our planet. Vooruit therefore wants ecocide recognised as the fifth crime. In order to stop companies, which cause damage at the expense of future generations and the planet."

Patricia Willocq, Director of Stop Ecocide Belgium said: “Belgium's decision to criminalise ecocide reflects a growing recognition of the need to adopt robust measures to protect the environment. The almost general consensus (9 out of 12 parties) in favour of an international recognition of ecocide at the ICC marks a significant step forward in the fight against environmental crimes and in safeguarding ecosystems for present and future generations.”

Robin Gairdner
Next

EU Council votes to criminalise cases “comparable to ecocide”