In a landmark move for global environmental protection, the Convention on the protection of the environment through criminal law was today opened for signature. It provides the foundation for a coherent criminal-justice response by states to environmental crime, including across borders.
Two Council of Europe member states - the Republic of Moldova and Portugal - as well as the European Union, signed the treaty today.
Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset strongly urged all other member states to sign and ratify this Convention. "We must accelerate our collective efforts to protect the environment and combat the environmental crimes that threaten our future," he stressed.
Triple planetary environmental crisis
The Convention forms part of comprehensive efforts by the Council of Europe in the field of the environment, as laid out notably in its Strategy on Environment, and reflects a collective response to the "triple planetary crisis" of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. This new treaty focuses on the criminal dimensions of environmental damage and establishes a robust legal framework to combat serious environmental crimes that have, at times, gone unpunished or under-prosecuted.
Elaborated by Council of Europe member states alongside contributions from the Holy See, the European Union, the United Nations, INTERPOL, as well as civil society, this new treaty sends a powerful message: environmental destruction is not only a policy failure but may also constitute a crime, requiring strong legal tools and international cooperation. The signature by the European Union confirms the EU's support for the aims of the convention.
The convention establishes a wide range of environmental offenses and enables states to prosecute intentional conduct resulting in environmental disasters tantamount to ecocide. Provisions on corporate liability, sanctions, and organised crime reflect the evolving nature of environmental offenses and their links to transnational criminal networks. The convention includes a mechanism to monitor implementation and accountability.
The immediate goal is to secure 10 ratifications, of which at least eight must be by Council of Europe member states, the minimum required for the treaty to enter into effect. This critical milestone will unlock the treaty's legal tools for holding perpetrators of environmental crimes accountable. The fight against environmental crime should know no borders, and the convention is also open in due course to Council of Europe non-member states.
"We urge governments to act swiftly, so that we can begin enforcing these vital protections as soon as possible," Secretary General Berset emphasised.
Frequently asked questions on the Convention on the protection of the environment
Read the text of the convention
Council of Europe Strategy on environment
The Reykjavík process and the environment
