Summary:
The European Council has formally adopted a new environmental crime directive, which includes provision to criminalise cases ‘comparable to ecocide’.
This is the latest and final vote on the new Directive and follows approval by the European Parliament in February and a landmark political agreement between the European Council, Commission and Parliament in November 2023.
This vote marks the conclusion of the Directive’s legislative journey, which gained significant momentum in March 2023 when the European Parliament announced its support for the inclusion of ecocide legislation.
Member states will now have a 24 month period, via the so-called ‘transposition’ process, in which to align national legislation with the newly adopted directive.
See the European Council’s press release here.
You can see the official text adopted by the European Council here.
Jojo Mehta, Co-founder and CEO of Stop Ecocide International, said:
“The historic vote 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 European Council sign and seal this remarkable new piece of legislation.
“This trailblazing revised directive has significant implications, not only for environmental safeguarding in Europe, but for humanity as a whole: it connects the regional to the global, sending a strong signal of political support for international legal recognition of ecocide that will be felt around the globe.“