WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2678/98 by Gerhard HAGER to the Commission. Environmental crime
C 135/92 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 14. 5. 1999 It should also be pointed out that a number of seminars in the field of justice and home affairs have been organised under the Austrian Presidency. A detailed list will be forwarded directly to the Honourable Member. In addition, work is currently under way on the publication on the Internet of documents concerning Title VI. This work will be completed as soon as possible. A copy of the list of the European Union’s acquis in the field of justice and home affairs up to May 1998 will be forwarded directly to the Honourable Member. Finally, the Council would draw attention to the fact that the Protocol on the role of national parliaments in the European Union, which will be added to the Treaties by the Amsterdam Treaty, provides for national parliaments to be informed in good time of any legislative proposal or other significant measure to allow them to examine it. This Protocol is intended to encourage the closer involvement of national parliaments in the European Union’s activities and to enhance their ability to express their points of view on matters of particular interest. It should be noted that the Council’s practice, where justice and home affairs are concerned, is to make all documents available in the eleven official languages of the European Union at least fifteen days before the Council meeting concerned. As a result, all national parliaments have the possibility − through their Governments − of scrutinising the proposals made within the European Union framework. (1999/C 135/107) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2678/98 by Gerhard Hager (NI) to the Commission (1 September 1998) Subject: Environmental crime The fight against organised crime is increasingly becoming a key concern for the Union. It is generally agreed that the threat posed needs to be tackled through individual and joint action. The conclusions of the Cardiff Summit noted that environmental crime was a serious, disturbing matter whose effects often extended beyond national borders. Measures would accordingly have to be taken to combat it. 1. What practical steps will the Commission take to answer the above call for action? 2. What particular forms will the measures take? 3. What impact will they have on criminal prosecution issues in the Member States? Answer given by Mrs Gradin on behalf of the Commission (5 October 1998) The Commission agrees with the conclusions of the Cardiff European Council on the need for closer cooperation at European level to combat environmental crime. It will examine with interest the proposals to provide common definitions of offences announced by the Danish Minister for Justice during the public debate at the Council meeting (Justice and Home Affairs) held in May 1998. Such measures will facilitate judicial cooperation and prevent certain firms from taking advantage of existing disparities between criminal laws to the detriment of the environment. The Commission feels this initiative should be supplemented by a communication on stepping up the fight against environmental crime. The commu- nication would cover the exchange of information, training, investigations, prevention and legal matters such as improved enforcement of existing legislation. With regard to the last point, as the Commission already mentioned in its communication on Implementing Community environmental law (1), it is planning to include specific provisions in its proposals for environmental legislation, requiring the Member States to make provision, in their transposal measures, for penalties, including criminal penalties, in the event of an infringement of these measures. (1) COM(96) 500 final