On 9 May, the Spanish government officially answered to a written question submitted by Inés Sabanés Nadal, MP for Más País Verdes Equo, on whether the Ministry of Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge intended to support the proposal to recognise ecocide and autonomous crimes against the environment in the framework of the European Council.
The answer given by the Government is as follows:
"In relation to the above question, the Honourable Member may be informed that the Government is in favour of promoting initiatives at international level leading to the regulation and prosecution of the crime of ecocide." *
The question and answer are framed within the steps advanced at EU level with regard to the Directive on protection of the environment through criminal law, which is currently under revision. Its text, already approved unanimously in the five Parliamentary Committees and by the Parliament itself, establishes that the most serious environmental crimes - known as "ecocide" - are to be condemned by EU legislation.
Inés Sabanés has pointed out that "In times like these, when unique ecosystems such as Doñana or the Mar Menor are being endangered by agribusiness, the economic interests of a few companies and the a of effective control by the responsible administrations that results in impunity, it is especially important that the Spanish government makes a serious commitment to promote ecocide at a European level. The processing of this Directive is also a good opportunity for the other parties to show their commitment to the fight against the climate emergency, committing themselves to support it in the framework of the European Council if they come into government".
In the same vein, last January the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) voted overwhelmingly to adopt resolution 2477 and recommendation 2246, both calling for the recognition of ecocide.
In the words of Maite Mompó, Director of Stop Ecocide Spain, "It is very good news that the Spanish government has declared to be in favour of the creation of the international crime of ecocide as it is needed to prevent the most serious extensive or long-lasting damage to the environment. At this moment, the revision of the European Union's Environmental Crime Directive is in the final stage of approval and this declaration by the Government directly supports the inclusion of "ecocide" type crimes in the new European regulation".
Jojo Mehta, Stop Ecocide International’s Co-founder and Executive Director, says: “This is a very encouraging response from the Spanish government and shows it is now unequivocally time for ecocide law to be progressed at national as well as regional and international levels. It responds to the growing global awareness of how downright dangerous it is to destroy the ecosystems upon which we entirely depend - for lives and livelihoods, for sustaining crucial and threatened biodiversity, and for regulating climate on our shared planet. There is no stopping this direction of travel - it is now only a matter of time before legal recognition of ecocide becomes the norm around the world.”
*Check the official government response here