Minister Habijan announces introduction of ecocide in Criminal Code

Minister Habijan announced the introduction of a new criminal offence of a particularly serious environmental crime, i.e. ecocide, in the Criminal Code. The sentence could be up to 40 years in prison for the gravest forms of the crime, with the exclusion of the statute of limitations considered

Visiting Gospić on Monday, the Minister made statements for N1 and HRT TV channels before and after the extraordinary session of the Parliament's Environmental Protection Committee, held due to the issue of about 37,000 tons of hazardous, illegally disposed waste.

‘We want a constructive discussion, a discussion that will offer and provide answers and solutions, both by the relevant ministries and the Government’, he said.

Tight prison sentences envisaged for the most serious cases

Speaking about the introduction of ecocide, the Minister stressed that the amendments to the Criminal Code were not initiated due to the case of illegally disposed waste in Gospić.

He pointed out that the relevant working group had already been set up on 29 May, with the task to transpose the European Directive on the protection of the environment through criminal law. The amendments also provide for the introduction of a particularly serious environmental crime.

‘We are basically introducing the crime of ecocide. It may be the first time this has been publicly communicated’, said the Minister.

As he explained, the goal is to include the new crime in the current amendments to the Criminal Code. For the most serious cases, strict prison sentences are foreseen, ranging from a minimum of 10 years to long-term imprisonment, up to 40 years. It is also being considered to exclude the statute of limitations for the crime.

The Minister explained that the Government's proposal would differ from that of MP Marija Selak Raspudić in terms of proof of intent, inter alia.

According to the Government model, it would not be necessary to prove that the perpetrator had a direct intention to cause damage to the environment in order to establish ecocide.

"I expect the investigation to be prompt"

Speaking about the case of 37,000 tonnes of illegally disposed hazardous waste in Gospić, the Minister expressed the expectation that the investigation would be completed by the end of September, as previously announced by State Attorney General Ivan Turudić.

"I expect the investigation to be prompt and as fast as possible given the topic and the challenge ahead, and to get the results of the investigation as soon as possible’, the Minister said.

The introduction of ecocide in the Criminal Code, he concluded, was part of a wider process of strengthening environmental protection through criminal law.

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