Environmental Criminal Law in Germany

Dr. Stephan Sina

Environmental Criminal Law in Germany

Publication: Book Section
Citation: Sina, Stephan 2017: Environmental Criminal Law in Germany. In: Andrew Farmer, Michael Faure, Grazia Maria Vagliasindi (Eds.) Environmental Crime in Europe. Oxford and Portland, Oregon.

As an output of the research project "European Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime" (EFFACE), which was coordinated by Ecologic Institute, an edited volume entitled "Environmental Crime in Europe" was published by Hart Publishing. Dr. Stephan Sina, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, contributed a chapter on environmental crime in Germany. In this chapter, he describes the legal framework on environmental crime in Germany and assesses its conformity with the EU's Environmental Crime Directive. The chapter also addresses enforcement challenges. It is based on a longer study, conducted in the framework of the EFFACE project, on environmental crime in Germany.

The volume's editors are Andrew Farmer (IEEP), Michael Faure (University of Maastricht) and Grazia Maria Vagliasindi (University of Catania). The volume is based on research in EFFACE on actors, instruments and institutions relevant for fighting environmental crime.

Its first part covers the European legal background, including the Environmental Crime Directive. The core of the book is the second part which consists of a detailed analysis of environmental criminal law in seven Member States. The third part provides a comparative analysis of the seven country studies and concluding observations on the state of environmental crime in Europe and future perspectives.

Contact

Dr. Stephan Sina

Senior Fellow

Coordinating In-house Counsel

Economic Instruments in Water Policy

23 October 2015
Ina Krüger

Publication:Report

Despite their successful application in other environmental domain (such as air quality and climate), the use of economic policy instruments (EPIs) to tackle water management issues has faced many challenges. This report, written by Ecologic Institute in collaboration with partners as part of the EU-funded FP7 EPI-Water project, provides practical guidance to policy-makers and interested parties on the formulation of economic policy instruments for water management. Economic policy instruments presented in the report include incentive pricing, pollution taxes, water and pollution trading schemes, payments for environmental services, and risk management schemes. The report is available for download.

Design and Development of Economic Policy Instrument in European Water Policy

Year 2013

Publication:Book Section

Are tradable permits in water pollution control a useful instrument regarding the protection of the environment? In this book chapter, experts from the Ecologic Institute make recommendations on the strategies for introducing tradable water pollution rights. They point out opportunities and limitations and discuss the instrument’s compatibility in instrument "mixes".

Le rôle des permis transférables pour la maîtrise de la pollution de l’eau

Year 2014

Publication:Report

The EPI-Water project aims to understand how Economic Policy Instruments (EPIs) succeed or fail in directing water resources to uses that reflect social value and priorities. The project, which runs from January 2011 to December 2013, uses a multi-faceted Assessment Framework (AF) to make ex-post evaluations of existing EPIs that have been operating in Europe and abroad, and make ex-ante evaluations of potential EPIs that may be implemented within Europe. The Review of the Assessment Framework is available for download.

Evaluating Economic Policy Instruments for Sustainable Water Management in Europe

Review of the Assessment Framework and Toolbox

Year 2012

Publication:Report

The EPI-Water project applies an evidence-based approach to the assessment of Economic Policy Instruments (EPIs) for water management. In this report, the 30 ex-post case study reviews undertaken in the work package 3 of the project are synthesized and cross-compared to extract a first set of common features and formulate hypotheses about the conditions under which EPIs contribute to policy options to achieve sustainable water management.

Comparative Analysis Report

Year 2012

Publication:Case Study

A policy mix consisting of regulatory and economic instruments can be very powerful in implementing and enforcing policies to address direct effluent emissions, as illustrated by this case study conducted by Ecologic Institute under WP3 of the FP7 EPI-Water project. In order to reduce point source pollution, several instruments were introduced in Germany throughout the years. The study is available for download.

Effluent Tax in Germany

Year 2011

Publication:Case Study

This case study conducted by Ecologic Institute analyzes the policy mix of economic and regulatory instruments introduced in the German state of Baden-Württemberg in order to address two key water management problems: excessive nitrate concentrations in groundwater and unsustainable water abstraction. Three different policy instruments have been applied: the Regulation on Protected Areas and Compensatory Payments (SchALVO) introduced in 1988 (a regulatory and economic instrument), water abstraction charges, and Market Relief and Cultural Landscape Compensation for farmers (MEKA), a voluntary instrument introduced in 1992. The study is available for download.

Water Abstraction Charges and Compensation Payments in Baden-Württemberg (Germany)

Year 2011

Publication:Case Study

This case study on green hydropower, conducted by Ecologic Institute, illustrates a novel application of economic policy instruments in European water management. Hydropower in Switzerland accounts for about 59 % of the electricity supply. While hydropower is already considered a green energy, the sector's "green" potential has increased with the introduction of a new label certification scheme. The study is available for download.

Green Hydropower in Switzerland

Year 2011

Project:FP 7

Evaluating Economic Policy Instruments for Sustainable Water Management in Europe (EPI-Water)

Jan 2011 - Dec 2013

Language: English
Authorship: Dr. Stephan Sina
Published in: Environmental Crime in Europe
Published by: Hart Publishing, United Kingdom
Year: 2017
ISBN: 978-1-50991-401-2, ePDF: 978-1-50991-398-5, ePub: 978-1-50991-399-2
Project: European Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime (EFFACE)
Project ID: 2707
Keywords: EU

Environmental law, environmental crime, law enforcement

Germany

Publisher's website

Further Links

EFFACE project website

PublicationWebsiteEuropean Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime (EFFACE)

EFFACE Project Website

The EU research project EFFACE assesses the impacts of environmental crime as well as effective and feasible policy options for combatting it, with a focus on the EU. Ecologic Institute designed and developed the EFFACE website which provides an overview of the project... Read more

Ecologic Institute (2012): European Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime (EFFACE). Project Website. URL: http://efface.eu

PublicationReportWildlife Crime

According to Chinese authorities, the coronavirus spread to humans from wildlife at a wildlife market in Wuhan. Most likely, Ebola and AIDS also originated from wildlife. Besides the serious threats to biodiversity and sustainable development, the risk for human health... Read more

Sina, Stephan; Gerstetter, Christiane; Porsch, Lucas et al. (2016): Wildlife Crime. Study for the ENVI Committee, Brussels.

PublicationReportEnvironmental Crime and the EU: Synthesis

The final synthesis of the 40 month long EFFACE research project is now available. The report is addressed at decision-makers and presents core findings from the EFFACE project in an accessible language. The final synthesis is available for download. Drawing on the... Read more

Gerstetter, Christiane, Christoph Stefes, Andrew Farmer, Michael G. Faure, Teresa Fajardo del Castillo, Katharina Klaas, Mitsilegas Valsamis, et al. "Environmental Crime and the EU: Synthesis of the Research Project 'European Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime' EFFACE". Report in the framework of the EFFACE research project. Berlin: Ecologic Institute, 2016.

PublicationBookFighting Environmental Crime in Europe and Beyond

The edited volume, Fighting Environmental Crime in Europe and Beyond: The Role of the EU and Its Member States, was published by Palgrave Macmillan in March 2017. The edited volume sums up the findings of EFFACE, a multi-disciplinary and international research project... Read more

Sollund, Ragnhild; Christoph H. Stefes; Anna Rita Germani (Eds.) 2016: Fighting Environmental Crime in Europe and Beyond. The Role of the EU and Its Member States.

Download: Fighting Environmental Crime in Germany: A Country Report [pdf, 1 MB, English]

Download: Editorial Preface [pdf, 187 kB, English]

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