| Fotolia© Robert Kneschke

Combatting Environmental Crime: Priorities and Opportunities for further EU Action

Event: Conference
Date: 17 - 18 February 2016
Location: Brussels, Belgium

The final conference of the EU-funded research project "European Action to Fight Environmental Crime" (EFFACE) took place on 17 and 18 February 2016 in Brussels. More than 100 participants attended the conference - including representatives of EU institutions, national environmental authorities, police, civil society as well as academic experts on the topic from the EU and beyond.

The programme included presentations and panels discussions on:

Key conclusions and recommendations from EFFACE, (including from case studies on wildlife, logging, fishing, mining, wastes, etc.);
Priorities for further action by the EU; and
Facilitating the role of NGOs and civil society in combatting environmental crime

Christiane Gerstetter, Senior Fellow, Ecologic Institute, and coordinator of the EFFACE project presented an overview of the project.

Christoph Stefes, Senior Fellow, Ecologic Insitute, and scientific coordinator of the EFFACE project presented the results of a case study he compiled on environmental crime in Armenia. He also moderated a panel discussion on the role of NGOs and civil society in combatting environmental crime.

R. Andreas Kraemer, founder and director emeritus of Ecologic Institute, also moderated a part of the conference.

More information on the conference is available at the EFFACE website.

Final conference of the research project EFFACE

Fighting Environmental Crime in Europe and Beyond

The Role of the EU and Its Member States

Year 2017

Publication:Report

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.

Environmental Crime and the EU: Synthesis

Synthesis of the Research Project "European Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime" (EFFACE)

Year 2016

Publication:Report

A new report presents the conclusions and policy recommendations of the EU-funded research project, "European Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime" (EFFACE). The report includes recommendations for action to better combat environmental crime at the EU and Member State level, distinguishing between core and supplementary recommendations. In addition to these recommendations, questions for further research are identified. The report is available for download.

European Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime (EFFACE): Conclusions and Recommendations

on fighting environmental crime more effectively

Year 2016

Publication: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 objectives, structure and partners as well as events. Furthermore the website provides links to the project findings, publications and policy briefs and hosts the EFFACE Newsletter. An internal area supports the coordination of the project work that involves 11 European universities and think tanks.

European Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime (EFFACE)

Year 2012

Presentation:Speech

What do we know about the effectiveness of legislation to combat environmental crime within the EU and its Member States? And how can we measure its effectiveness? These were the two core questions that Christiane Gerstetter, Senior Fellow in Ecologic's Legal Team, addressed in a presentation at the conference of the European Environmental Law Forum in September 2015 in Aix-en-Provence. The presentation is available for download.

The Effectiveness of the EU's Legislative Framework on Environmental Crime

3 September 2015
Dr. Christiane Gerstetter

Presentation:Speech

In this presentation, Grazia Maria Vagliasindi, University of Catania, and Christiane Gerstetter, Ecologic Institute, presented the results of the EU-funded research project "European Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime" (EFFACE) to an audience of criminologists and police officers. The presentation is available for download.

(Preliminary) Results of the EFFACE Research Project

9 September 2015
Dr. Christiane Gerstetter

Event:Workshop

An important part of the research project "European Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime" (EFFACE), which is coordinated by Ecologic Institute, is a series of workshops. They served both to present results of the research project and to invite feedback from academic experts, policy-makers and practitioners. Summaries of the workshops are available for download.

EFFACE Workshops on Environmental Crime

21 January 2014 - 22 October 2015
Berlin, Catania, Brussels, Granada, Den Haag, London

Publication:Report

An important part of the work for the "European Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime" (EFFACE) project, coordinated by Ecologic Institute, is the analysis of the costs and impacts of environmental crime. The work includes the collection and analysis of data and information on the extent and the impacts of environmental crime and attempts to estimate the economic costs of the different types of environmental crime. The report "Understanding the Damages of Environmental Crime" is available for download.

Understanding the Damages of Environmental Crime

Review of the availability of data

Year 2014

Presentation:Speech

Christoph Stefes, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, presented during the one-day workshop "Making a case against environmental crime" his case study on environmental crime in the mining sector of the Republic of Armenia. The case study looks at the causes of environmental crime in Armenia, taking the mining sector as an example. It describes measures that the European Union could take to contribute to preventing future environmental crime in the country. The case study is available for download.

EFFACE Case Study Presentation "Environmental Crime in Armenia"

25 March 2015
Prof. Christoph H. Stefes, PhD

Funding: European Commission, Directorate-General Research & Innovation (DG Research & Innovation), International
Organizer: Ecologic Institute, Germany

Institute for Environmental Security (IES), Netherlands
Team: Dr. Christiane Gerstetter

Lucy Olivia Smith

Dr. Stephan Sina

Prof. Christoph H. Stefes, PhD

R. Andreas Kraemer
Date: 17 - 18 February 2016
Location: Brussels, Belgium
Language: English
Project: European Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime (EFFACE)
Project ID: 2720
Keywords: EU

Events

environmental crime, EU

Europe

Attachments

Stefes case study on environmental crime in Armenia (310.42 KB)

Gerstettter overview of EFFACE project (607.42 KB)

Further Links

EventWorkshopEFFACE Workshops on Environmental Crime

Workshop:EFFACE Workshops on Environmental Crime

Date: 21 January 2014 - 22 October 2015
Location: Berlin, Catania, Brussels, Granada, Den Haag, London

PublicationCase StudyEnvironmental Crime in Armenia: A Case Study on Mining

Despite the European Union's efforts to promote good governance in Armenia, economic resources and political power have become interwoven in often illicit ways. Corruption is widespread at all levels of the state apparatus. Against this background, this case study, co... Read more

Stefes, Christoph H. and Katherine Weingartner 2015: Environmental Crime in Armenia. A Case Study on Mining. Ecologic Institute, Berlin, available at www.efface.eu.