Committee of experts on the protection of the environment through Criminal Law (PC-ENV)
Since 1977, the Council of Europe has recognised the “contribution of criminal law to the protection of the environment” and is now elaborating a new global Convention on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law.
On 23 November 2022, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted the Terms of Reference for a new Committee of Experts on the Protection of the Environment though Criminal Law (PC-ENV). The PC-ENV has, therefore, been set up and entrusted, under the authority of the Committee of Ministers and the European Committee on Crime Problems (CDPC), to elaborate a new Convention on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law.
The new Council of Europe Convention will lay down a general basis of pan-European environmental criminal law, providing a common global framework in line with the transnational nature of the environmental challenge that needs to be met.
Composition
The Committee brings together:
- representatives of the 46 member States, designated by their respective governments, and who have recognised expertise in the environmental domain, criminal law and the challenges States are now facing regarding environmental crime;
- representatives of the observer States: Canada, Holy See, Japan, Mexico, United States of America;
- representatives of other Council of Europe bodies and sectors, in particular the Parliamentary Assembly, the European Court on Human Rights (ECHR) and intergovernmental committees dealing with issues pertaining to the protection of the environment;
- representatives of other relevant international and supranational organisations working in this field such as the European Union, the United Nations, INTERPOL, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF);
- representatives of civil society.
Meetings
4th Meeting: 4-7 June 2024
3rd Meeting: 27-29 February 2024
2nd Meeting: 16-18 October 2023
1st Meeting: 3-4 April 2023
Background
The existing Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Environment through Criminal Law (ETS No. 172, 1998) remains unimplemented and consequently lacks the ability to address the current challenges.
In June 2022, the Steering Committee of the Council of Europe for overseeing and coordinating activities in the field of crime prevention and crime control – the European Committee on Crime Problems (CDPC) – decided that drafting a new Convention was feasible and appropriate, following a Feasibility Study by its Working Group of Experts on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law (CDPC-EC).
The CDPC-EC Working Group, had the aim of considering the possible way forward, by assessing whether the elaboration of a new Convention to replace the existing 1998 Convention was feasible and appropriate or not.
- Report of the 4th meeting - CDPC-EC(2022)4
- Agenda of the 4th meeting, 24-25 February 2022 - CDPC-EC(2022)OJ4
- Report of the 3rd meeting, 7 October 2021 - CDPC-EC(2021)3
- Agenda of the 3rd meeting - CDPC-EC(2021)OJ3
- Report of the 2nd meeting, 15 June 2021 - CDPC-EC(2021)2
- Agenda of the 2nd meeting - CDPC-EC(2021)OJ2_Bil
- Report of the 1st meeting, 20-21 April 2021 - CDPC-EC(2021)1
- Agenda of the 1st meeting - CDPC-EC(2021)OJ1_Bil
- Discussion paper I - CDPC(2021)4
- Working paper - CDPC(2020)9
Council of Europe Resources
Links
Council of Europe Contribution to the United Nations 2030 agenda for sustainable development goals
Environment and Human Rights (CDDH-ENV)
Human rights and the environment - Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
Human rights and the environment, a priority for the Council of Europe
Protecting the environment using human rights law
Environment - Manual for Human Rights Education with Young people
The role of prosecutors in the protection of the environment
Council of Europe texts on the environment
Convention on the conservation of European wildlife and natural habitats (Bern Convention)
Council of Europe Landscape Convention
European and Mediterranean Major Hazards Agreement
Impact of the European Convention on Human Rights on the environment
European Court of Human Rights
Environment and the European Convention on Human Rights – past and pending cases at the ECHR
Measures adopted and reported by States (Execution of judgments)
European Court of Human Rights Environment Case-law Guide
Conferences
High-level Conference - Environmental Protection and Human Rights
Publications
Raising awareness of the importance of countering environmental crime
External Resources
Links
UNEP - UN Environment Programme
UNODC - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime – Crimes that affect the environment
UNODC Research and Trend Analysis Branch
European Commission - Environment
European Commission - Environmental Crime
European Commission - Environmental governance
European Commission - Combating environmental crime
INTERPOL - Environmental crime
Publications
UNEP-INTERPOL Report: The Rise of Environmental Crime
UNODC 2020 World Wildlife Crime Report
UNODC Library Resources: Research Guides on Wildlife and Forest Crime
EUROPOL - Environmental crime in the age of climate change: 2022 threat assessment
EUROJUST - Report on Eurojust’s Casework on Environmental Crime