Joint NGO position paper on the ECD transposition

Directive 2024/1203 on the protection of the environment through criminal law entered into force on 20/05/2024. As a coalition of environmental, conservation, and animal protection organisations, we firmly believe that the EU must put in place the necessary tools and measures to effectively combat the billion-euro industry that is environmental crime. Consequently, we warmly welcome the revised Directive and urge EU Member States to promptly and robustly transpose and implement it.

However, the Directive only sets out the minimum rules that must be put in place across the Union. As such, the Directive's provisions should be viewed by EU Member States as the baseline for their transposition process, and where needed, they should introduce stricter measures. In particular, we would like to highlight the opportunity for EU Member States to adopt more ambitious provisions into their national law, during the transposition process.