EU Council votes to criminalize “cases comparable to ecocide”

Cases comparable to ecocide will be criminal in the EU. Member states have 24 months to implement the directive “Protection of the environment through criminal law”.
EU flag-3370970_1280

  • The European Council has formally adopted a new environmental crime directive, which includes provision to criminalise cases ‘comparable to ecocide’.

  • This is the latest and final vote on the new Directive and follows approval by the European Parliament in February and a landmark political agreement between the European Council, Commission and Parliament in November 2023.

  • This vote marks the conclusion of the Directive’s legislative journey, which gained significant momentum in March 2023 when the European Parliament announced its support for the inclusion of ecocide legislation.

  • Member states will now have a 24 month period, via the so-called ‘transposition’ process, in which to align national legislation with the newly adopted directive.

Information courtesy of Stop Ecocide International.

Share this post

Other articles

Officially Swedish

”Ekocid” – Swedish for ecocide – has been recognised by the Swedish Academy as an established part of the Swedish language.

Choirs for Ecocide Law April 12

EVENT

The ultimate nature-friendly Christmas gift? Tickets for Let’s Change the Rules.

Ecocide Law Reaches the UN Security Council

Ecocide law was raised three times during the UN Security Council’s session on environmental impact of armed conflict and climate-driven security risks, demonstrating growing diplomatic attention to establishing mass environmental destruction as an international crime.

Legal Sustainability Alliance features Ecocide Law

EVENT

On Tuesday 4 November 2025, Ecocide Law Alliance had the pleasure of joining Stop Ecocide International and Ecosia in a webinar exploring the proposed international crime of ecocide, and its current development around the world.

Governments vote for recognition of ecocide at world’s largest conservation congress

At its World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi (9-15 October), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, comprising more than 1,400 member organisations including states, government agencies, civil society groups and Indigenous Peoples’ organisations, has voted to adopt Motion 061, “Recognising the crime of ecocide to protect nature.”

Broad Swedish Parliamentary Support for Ecocide Law

Representatives from all Sweden’s non-government parties have submitted private member’s bills calling for ecocide to become an international crime.
Visit the news archive