Overview
- The federal cabinet, which approved the draft on Wednesday, moved to implement new EU rules on criminal protection of the environment.
- The plan creates a qualified offence comparable to ecocide with a minimum one‑year prison term for intentional catastrophic harm and raises maximum sentences to ten years for severe cases.
- Police and prosecutors would gain covert tools, including court‑approved phone and message tapping, for serious, profit‑driven crimes by organized groups.
- Corporate exposure rises with fines up to €40 million and lower liability thresholds that punish preparatory acts and unsafe handling of hazardous substances, increasing personal risk for executives if damage proves irreversible.
- Officials cast the overhaul as a response to organized crime’s profits from illegal waste and pollution, while UBA data show recorded cases fell 9% from 2013 to 2024, a drop experts link to limited enforcement capacity.