No Peace Without Justice participated in a public consultation organised by the European Commission and open to academic institutions, NGOs and civil society in order to improve, review and update Directive 2008/99/EC and, in general, the EU’s environmental protection through criminal law. The directive (Directive 2008/99/EC) will require Member States to tackle and prevent activities that violate EU environmental legislation, such as the illegal shipment of waste, trade of endangered species and ozone polluting substances.
NPWJ welcomes the intention to improve environmental protection legislation through a less anthropocentric approach, and which does not consider the natural environment as a purely human good. NPWJ’s contribution included suggestions on the geographic scope of the new potential regulation, its cross-border effects and on the supply chain.
In its presentation, NPWJ also highlighted the interconnection between environmental protection and human rights, along with an analysis on the different ways to deal with crimes related to the environment as well as criminal responsibility. The proposal for this new directive is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2021.
