“It is about time we fought cross-border crimes at the EU level with harmonized and dissuasive sanctions to prevent new environmental crimes.
Under this agreement, polluters will pay,” parliamentary rapporteur Antonius Manders said.
Applicable to the EU’s 27 member states, the legislation targets offenses such as
illegal depletion of water resources, grave breaches of EU chemicals law, pollution caused by ships, and the destruction of ecosystems as a result of large-scale forest fires or widespread contamination of air, water, and soil.
Manders said the new legislation, which updates a 2008 EU directive, allows for people in leading positions at a company responsible for pollution to be
prosecuted, as well as the business itself.
Imprisonment for perpetrators
Environmental crimes committed by individuals and company representatives will be punishable with imprisonment for
up to eight years, depending on how long-lasting, severe, or reversible the damage is. Offenses that cause the death of a person could draw a prison sentence of
up to 10 years.
Offenders will be required to help rehabilitate a damaged environment and pay compensation.
For companies,
fines will reach up to 5% of their annual worldwide turnover or alternatively up to
EUR 40 million (USD 43.41 mln).
The new directive was adopted by
499 votes in favor, 100 against, and 23 abstentions and will take force after publication in the EU Official Journal. Member states will have two years to incorporate the rules into their national legal systems.
