Croatia moves to introduce ecocide law

Summary:

The Croatian Government has announced plans, through a new Article (214a), to introduce a crime of ecocide - targeting the most severe forms of environmental destruction - into the country’s Criminal Code. 

The announcement was made by Damir Habijan, Minister of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation, who said that a government working group had already been established on 29 May 2026 to prepare amendments to the country’s Criminal Code as part of Croatia’s transposition of the recently revised EU Environmental Crime Directive.

The Directive, which entered into force in May 2024, requires EU member states to strengthen criminal penalties for serious environmental offences and introduces a new qualified offence covering conduct causing particularly severe environmental damage, described in its recitals as “comparable to ecocide”. Member states were required to transpose the Directive into national law by 21 May 2026.

The proposed ecocide offence would go significantly beyond the Directive’s minimum sentencing requirements. Under the model outlined by Habijan, the gravest cases would carry sentences of up to 40 years.

Habijan also said the Government proposal would differ from an existing ecocide law proposal by MP Marija Selak Raspudić, in that it would not require proof that the perpetrator directly intended to cause environmental damage. 

The announcement comes amid public and political pressure following the discovery of around 37,000 tonnes of illegally dumped hazardous waste at a site in Gospić (Lika region, central Croatia), which has prompted an extraordinary parliamentary session and a formal request from President Zoran Milanović for emergency government action. The Minister stressed that the ecocide amendments were not initiated in response to the Gospić case, noting that the working group had been established beforehand.

The ecocide law proposal has not yet become law. Once finalised by the Government, the amendments will need to be introduced to the Croatian Parliament, scrutinised and adopted before entering into force.

Dina Dragija, National Coordinator for Stop Ecocide Croatia, said: 

“This is a very important step forward for Croatia and for the growing international recognition of ecocide. If adopted, Croatia would join the small but growing group of European countries, including France and Belgium, that have explicitly recognised ecocide in national law, and would be among the first EU Member States to do so.

Recognising ecocide in criminal law is ultimately about protecting not only our environment and ecosystems, but also people, communities and future generations whose wellbeing depends upon them. I very much hope Croatia can now develop strong and effective legislation and contribute to the wider European and international momentum towards the legal recognition of ecocide.”

You can find the full Croatian Ministry announcement here.