{"id":24723,"date":"2025-05-28T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-28T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fibgar.es\/?p=24723"},"modified":"2025-05-23T15:21:48","modified_gmt":"2025-05-23T13:21:48","slug":"the-adoption-of-the-new-council-of-europe-convention-on-the-protection-of-the-environment-through-criminal-law-a-historic-step-towards-environmental-justice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fibgar.es\/en\/the-adoption-of-the-new-council-of-europe-convention-on-the-protection-of-the-environment-through-criminal-law-a-historic-step-towards-environmental-justice\/","title":{"rendered":"The adoption of the new Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law: A historic step towards environmental justice"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

April 3, 2023 marked the beginning of a paradigm shift in Europe. The first meeting of the Council of Europe Committee of Experts on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law<\/strong> was established and took place. After more than a year of work by experts and stakeholders from the 46 member states of the Council of Europe, together with contributions from the EU, UN, INTERPOL and civil society across Europe, the draft Convention on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law was produced on October 9, 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At its first meeting, the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Bj\u00f8rn Berge, stressed that environmental crime<\/strong> had grown at a rate 2 to 3 times that of the global economy, with large profits linked to criminal actions against the environment<\/strong>, being compared to other financial crimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After months of negotiation, the new Convention<\/a> was finally adopted<\/strong> by decision of the Committee of Ministers on May 14, 2025, becoming the first legally binding international instrument on environmental crime<\/strong>. The Treaty underlines that damaging the environment is not only a sign of political inefficiency, but can be considered a criminal act that requires international collaboration and robust legal tools<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Convention provides a solid legal framework for countries to address serious environmental crimes that have so far been poorly prosecuted or even completely unpunished. In addition, the Convention incorporates a monitoring system<\/strong> to ensure effective implementation and promote accountability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of this Treaty is to prevent and combat<\/strong> environmental crime that aggravates the triple global crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss. It also focuses on the need to promote both national and international cooperation<\/strong> and to establish minimum legal standards <\/strong>to guide States in their national legislation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Convention is based on and aligned with multiple international instruments and standards related to environmental protection, human rights and transnational crime, such as the European Convention on Human Rights, the Paris Agreement, CITES and the UNTOC. It recognizes the existence of a triple planetary crisis and its impact on human rights, consistent with the Reykjavik Declaration<\/a>. It also adopts a broad concept of the environment, which includes natural resources (air, water and soil), ecosystems and their services, as well as wildlife and habitats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Convention is made up of 58 articles<\/strong>, of which 26 are substantive criminal law, i.e., it establishes offenses such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n