Environmental Crime In Europe

This book brings together the findings of a multi-disciplinary and international research project on environmental crime in Europe, funded by the European Union (EU). “European Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime" (EFFACE) was a 40-month research project that included eleven European research institutions and think tanks and was led by Ecologic Institute Berlin. EFFACE assessed the impacts of environmental crime as well as effective and feasible policy options for combating it from a multidisciplinary perspective, with a focus on the EU. As part of this project, numerous instances of environmental crime within and outside of the EU were studied and are now presented in this volume. This edited collection is highly innovative in showing not only the many facets of environmental crime, but also how it should be conceptualised and the consequences. An original and rigorous study, this book will be of particular interest to policy makers and scholars of green criminology and environmental studies.

"Environmental crime is a growing challenge for policy makers and law enforcers. This is an important and timely study which examines in depth how environmental crime is treated at national level within the European Union and the impact of the 2008 EU Directive on environmental crime on national systems. It will be required reading by anyone concerned with making environmental law more effective." Richard Macrory, Emeritus Professor, University College London The aim of this important new collection is to explore how environmental crime is controlled and environmental criminal law is shaped and implemented within the European Union and its Member States. It examines the legal framework, looking in particular at Directive 2008/99/EC, and the specific competences of the EU in this domain. In addition, it provides a detailed analysis of environmental criminal law in seven Member States, focusing inter alia on the basic legislation, the way in which environmental pollution is criminalised and the main actors in place to enforce environmental criminal law. In so doing, it provides a much needed explanation of the evolution of environmental criminal law in Europe at Union level and how this is implemented in selected Member States.

This provides not only a summary of the criminal prosecution of environmental law in the various countries, but also addresses differences and similarities in practice with respect to environmental criminal law. A critical analysis of the answers is also provided."--Jacket.

The Legal Regulation of Environmental Crime - The International and European Dimension provides a timely, comprehensive and holistic analysis of the international and EU legal frameworks aimed at tackling environmental crime. Bringing together a team of leading international and EU scholars with distinct expertise in environmental law and environmental criminal law, the volume discusses current reforms of environmental law at the international and EU levels.

The aim of this important new collection is to explore how environmental crime is controlled and environmental criminal law is shaped and implemented within the European Union and its Member States. It examines the legal framework, looking in particular at Directive 2008/99/EC, and the specific competences of the EU in this domain. In addition, it provides a detailed analysis of environmental criminal law in seven Member States, focusing inter alia on the basic legislation, the way in which environmental pollution is criminalised and the main actors in place to enforce environmental criminal law. In so doing, it provides a much needed explanation of the evolution of environmental criminal law in Europe at Union level and how this is implemented in selected Member States.--

Environmental Criminal Liability and Enforcement in European and International Law assesses the legal, theoretical and practical implications of interstate cooperation aimed at harmonising environmental criminal law standards. The book analyses the rationales for criminalisation of environmental offences and the approaches to harmonisation under specific European and international legal instruments.

Environmental crime is one of the most profitable and fastest growing areas of international criminal activity. The increasing cross-border scope of environmental crimes and harms is one of the reasons why governments and the enforcement community have trouble in finding the proper responses. Law enforcement cooperation between western industrialized states is often time consuming and problematic, and the problems increase exponentially when environmental criminals take advantage of situations where government and law enforcement are weak. This book provides an overview of the developments and problems in the field of transnational environmental crimes and harms, addressing these issues from perspectives such as enforcement, deterrence, compliance and emission trading schemes. Divided into four parts, the authors consider global issues in green criminology, responses to transnational environmental crimes and harms, alternative methods to combat environmental crime, and specific types of crimes and criminological research. Discussing these topics from the view of green criminology, sociology and governance, this book will be of great interest to all those concerned about the transnational dimensions of crime and the environment.

The articles, assembled in this book, present the written versions of contributions made to a conference on criminal sanctions in environmental law which the European Commission had organized in November 2003. The majority of the contributions are in English; some papers written in French are presented here in their original language. A few contributions in Italian and German were translated into English. The book hopes to contribute to the discussion on sanctions in environmental law which are, in the opinion of the editors, neither efficient nor a deterrent. As this discussion will start anew once the EC Court of Justice will have decided the question whether the EC may provide for penal environmental sanctions, this book will deliver useful background material to the role and the protection of the environment in the European Union at the begin of this 21st century.