The Committee of Experts on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law (PC-ENV) will begin its work on the new Convention on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law in its first meeting on 3 and 4 April 2023, at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. The meeting will be opened by Mr Bjørn Berge, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe.

Environmental crime negatively impacts economies, health and safety and undermines efforts undertaken by States to protect the environment and promote the rule of law. It contributes to the degradation of natural resources and the disruption of the climate. Environmental crime has evolved taking on a global and systemic dimension, inciting action by the Council of Europe.

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 with the drafting of a new Convention on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law.

For more information: Link to PC-ENV website.