Italy: MPs call for international crime of ecocide

Summary:

MPs and civil society representatives have called for Italy to support the recognition of ecocide as an international crime.

Speaking at a parliamentary press conference, representatives Fabio Porta and Debora Serracchiani of the Democratic Party called for the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court to be amended with a new crime of ecocide.

Porta, who represents the constituency of Italian citizens of South America in Italy’s Chamber of Deputies (lower house), said:

"Ecocide is no longer an environmental slogan: it is a legal category knocking on the door of international law. Italy must be at the forefront of supporting its recognition as a crime against humanity in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court." 

He went on to express his commitment to raising the issue of ecocide law within parliamentary committees and interparliamentary bodies, including European-Latin American fora.

Debora Serracchiani, a Democratic Party representative in Italy’s Chamber of Deputies for the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, echoed Porta’s call, arguing that:

“The necessary political will cannot be left to individual states alone. Despite progress in national environmental law, these efforts remain fragmented. The Rome Statute should therefore be amended.”

Others speaking in favour of the international criminalisation of ecocide at the same press conference were Judge Francesco Neri (Italian Court of Appeal), Prof. Francesco Vigliarolo (Chairholder, UNESCO Chair at the National University of La Plata), Prof. Donatella Strangio (Sapienza University) and Prof. Patrizia Nardi (expert in cultural heritage).

The press conference took place at the opening of a wider event in La Plata, Argentina, entitled "Towards Ecocide, a Crime against Humanity", which was sponsored by the UNESCO Chair in Economic Systems and Human Rights at the National University of La Plata and the Ambientevivo Association.

Dani Spizzichino, Founder of Stop Ecocide Italy, said:

“It is deeply encouraging to see growing support among Italian parliamentarians for recognising ecocide as a serious international crime, reflecting the accelerating global momentum behind this initiative.

Italy is already expected to implement the EU’s revised Environmental Crime Directive, which introduces new qualified offences that can be ‘comparable to ecocide’. Supporting recognition of ecocide at the international level would be a natural next step, helping to ensure that international environmental criminal law keeps pace with the higher standards now emerging across Europe and beyond.”

The full recording of the press conference can be viewed here.