Combating environmental crime in Europe Environmental crime such as illicit trade in endangered species or large-scale pollution can have a devastating environmental and socioeconomic impact. An EU research project developed policy recommendations to better combat environmental crime in Europe. Climate Change and Environment Society © belizar73, Thinkstock Thanks to EU funding, the EFFACE (European Union action to fight environmental crime) project took an interdisciplinary look at the effects of environmental crime in order to deliver policy recommendations to various Member State and EU institutions. Project members analysed instruments, actors and institutions to understand how the fight against environmental crime has been tackled in the EU. This research led to a series of studies on national, EU and international levels. The consortium examined the strengths and weaknesses of the EU's current approach to fighting environmental crime. A report assessed the availability of data on the social, economic and political consequences of different types of environmental crime, such as illegal use of landfills and dumping, illegal waste shipment or wildlife. The team carried out case studies to identify the methods and consequences of environmental crime within and beyond the EU. The case studies included proposals to strengthen the EU's policy framework. They were also published in an edited volume. Several public workshops and conferences were held to engage with stakeholders and disseminate research results. Among the stakeholders EFFACE networked with were representatives of Interpol, Europol, certain United Nations (UN) institutions, the EU and enforcement officials at the Member State level. Through these events and its online platform, EFFACE also provided channels for an exchange between practitioners from EU institutions and Member States to exchange experiences with researchers working on the topic and a forum for developing ideas on how to more effectively combat environmental crime. Through more effective use of cross-border mechanisms to exchange information and coordinate law enforcement operations, by providing more resources for tackling environmental crime and by Member States creating specialised enforcement institutions, the EU could see a positive shift in its strategic response to tackling environmental crime. Keywords Environmental crime, policy, EFFACE, criminal law, law enforcement
