Portugal today signed a Council of Europe convention that creates a legal framework to combat serious environmental crimes, including cross-border ones, in a “historic step” for global environmental protection.
The Convention on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law has also been signed by Moldova and the European Union (EU).
The Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, urged the remaining member states to sign and ratify the Convention quickly.
“We must accelerate our joint efforts to protect the environment and combat environmental crimes that threaten our future,” he stated, quoted in a note from the organization.
The new treaty sits within the Council of Europe’s environment strategy and aims to respond to the so-called “triple planetary crisis” – climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.
Drafted with contributions from the Vatican, the EU, the United Nations (UN), INTERPOL and civil society, the new legal instrument reinforces that environmental destruction can constitute a crime and requires international cooperation.
To enter into force, 10 ratifications are required, of which at least eight must be from Council of Europe member states.
“We urge governments to act quickly, so that we can begin applying these vital protections as soon as possible,” reiterated Alain Berset.
The immediate goal is to unlock the legal tools that will allow holding perpetrators of environmental crimes to account.
