Damaging environment could become criminal offence (25/4/08)
April 25, 2008 at 2:49 pm Leave a comment
Criminal penalties could be applied in the future to anyone who seriously damages air, soil, water, plants or animals, either intentionally or through serious negligence, under a new proposal being debated in Strasbourg this week. The measure was voted through by a small majority on the Legal Affairs Committee at the European Parliament, however it has yet to be debated by all MEPs at a full plenary session.
MEPs on the Committee agreed in principle with a report urging member states to treat as a criminal offence any act that damages the environment. In other words, if a specific offence like dumping is currently subject only to a civil sanction such as a fine, then this new legislation would require national governments to apply stronger, criminal penalties to the case.
The offences that would be deemed crimes under the plan include waste disposal, manufacturing ozone-depleting substances, or the killing or trading of protected flora and fauna.
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