Hearings on proposed ecocide bill begin in Catalan parliament
Summary:
Ecocide bill proceedings continue in Catalan Parliament
Representations heard from NGOs, community groups and experts
The hearings are part of an approval procedure necessary for any bill to progress to the national Congress of Deputies.
The bill was first introduced in the Catalan Parliament in 2022.
On Thursday 18 January, representations to the Catalan Parliament were heard from NGOs, community groups and experts on a bill to incorporate the crime of ecocide into the national Penal Code of Spain.
The bill received its first approval in a debate on 26 July. The hearing process is part of the approval procedure for the final text that any bill presented in the Catalan Parliament must undergo before progressing to the national Congress of Deputies.
The hearing was attended by representatives of five political parties (1), who asked the speakers questions regarding the principles and criteria on which this proposed ecocide law is based. Stop Ecocide International (SEI) was invited to participate in this first hearing, and was represented via video intervention by CEO Jojo Mehta and in person by Maite Mompó, Director of Stop Ecocide in the Spanish language. Josep Maria Mallarach, President of Silene Association and Doctor of Biology also spoke.
The next speakers of the day were Antoni Pigrau Solé, from the Tarragona Centre for Environmental Law Studies, and Susana Borràs Pentinat, professor of International Public Law and European Union Law at the Rovira i Virgili University of Tarragona.
The ecocide law proposal closely follows the legal definition of ecocide drawn up in 2021 by an Independent Expert Panel convened by the Stop Ecocide Foundation. The definition has become the global benchmark for representation of this crime.
According to Maite Mompó, "Despite the fact that ecological crime is recognised in Spain, it is clear that our current criminal legislation is not effective in preventing the worst damage to the environment. Proof of this is that serious, extensive and long-lasting damage to valuable ecosystems has continued to take place, as evidenced by the cases of El Mar Menor and Doñana. The introduction of the crime of ecocide will serve to strengthen existing legislation and help to protect our environment more effectively".
Alex Guillamón, spokesperson for Entrepobles, said: "This parliamentary initiative is responding to the demands of more than 80 Catalan environmental and social organisations, and is part of an international movement that more and more countries are joining: one of the most recent supporters being the European Parliament".
It is also important to point out that, at this very moment, a tragedy of great environmental damage is unfolding off the coast of Galicia, following the dumping of some 26 tonnes of plastic pellets from a Liberian-flagged ship. Only tougher international legislation can prevent episodes such as this from occurring.
It is therefore necessary both to develop specific protection and prevention laws, as in this case for the oceans, and to recognise the crime of ecocide at the International Criminal Court in order to strengthen all current and future legislation.
Silvia Paneque Sureda (Socialistes i Units per avançar); Eugeni Villalbi Godes (Esquerra Republicana); Salvador Vergés i Tejero (Junts per Catalunya); Dani Cornellà Detreill (Candidatura D'Unitat Popular); y Marina Bravo Sobrino (Ciutadans)
For more information:
Maite Mompó, Directora Stop Ecocidio en habla hispana; 660 512 423 maite@stopecocidio.org
Alex Guillamón, Portavoz de Entrepobles; 691 501 789 alex.guillamon@entrepobles.org