Environmental Criminal Offences: International, European and National law Perspective

The article analyses the regulation of environmental criminal of-fences, including environmental crimes, in international, European, and national law. The author considers the relevant provisions of the law of armed conflict, international criminal and environmental law, which stipulate the responsibility of states for widespread, long-term, and severe damage to the environment, as well as the responsibility of private actors for transnational environmental crimes and war crimes against the environment. The article compares the provisions relating to environmental criminal offences of the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law and its new draft; old and new versions of the EU Directive on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law; the draft of the Convention and final version of the Directive. The author pays particular attention to the national legislation of different states in this field and considers the concept of ecocide in international, European, and national law.