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Ordinary legislative procedure First reading

Protection of the environment through criminal law and replacing Directive 2008/99/EC

A proposed EU law. Parliament and the Council must agree on the same text: Parliament adopts its position, then negotiates with the Council.

Where it stands: Completed: published in the Official Journal on 30 April 2024 and now EU law.

  1. ✓ Referred to committee 27 January 2022
  2. ✓ Committee work Report adopted 21 March 2023
  3. ✓ Tabled for plenary 28 March 2023
  4. ✓ Negotiations with the Council Deal approved in committee 11 December 2023
  5. ✓ Plenary vote Adopted 27 February 2024
  6. ✓ Published as law 30 April 2024
How a file moves through Parliament

A file is referred to one lead committee (others may give an opinion). Its rapporteur writes a draft report, committee members table amendments, and the committee votes to adopt the report. The report is then tabled for all MEPs; political groups can table further amendments, which are voted on before the final vote in plenary. For a law, Parliament’s adopted text is its first-reading position; Parliament and the Council then negotiate a common text (trilogues) which both must approve before it is published as law.

Who is working on it

Lead committee
JURI — Legal Affairs
Rapporteur
MEP #4560 PPE
Shadow rapporteurs
MEP #204416 RenewVirginie JORON IDMEP #197801 S&DJorge BUXADÉ VILLALBA ECRMarie TOUSSAINT Verts/ALEManon AUBRY The Left
For opinion
DEVE — Development · rapporteur MEP #197506 Verts/ALEENVI — Environment, Climate and Food Safety · rapporteur Sirpa PIETIKÄINEN PPEPETI — Petitions · rapporteur MEP #209140 RenewLIBE — Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs · rapporteur Saskia BRICMONT Verts/ALE

The rapporteur drafts and negotiates the text for the lead committee; each other political group names a shadow rapporteur to follow the file.

The text, version by version

Adopted by Parliament · latest Adopted text TA9-0093/2024 27 February 2024 ✦ Parliament adopted its first-reading position on a directive to protect the environment through criminal law, replacing Directives 2008/99/EC and 2009/123/EC.⇄ what changed Tabled for plenary Report A9-0087/2023 28 March 2023 ✦ Parliament's amended version of the Commission proposal for a directive on protecting the environment through criminal law, replacing Directive 2008/99/EC. It sets minimum rules on environmental criminal offences, sanctions, prevention and enforcement, and adds new offences including an autonomous environmental crime and ecocide.⇄ what changed Committee draft Draft report (JURI) 12 October 2022 ✦ The Committee on Legal Affairs' draft report sets out Parliament's first-reading position on the proposed directive on protecting the environment through criminal law, replacing Directive 2008/99/EC.

Committee opinions: Opinion (PETI),Opinion (DEVE),Draft opinion (ENVI),Draft opinion (LIBE),Opinion (ENVI),Opinion (LIBE),Draft opinion (DEVE),Draft opinion (PETI)

Newest version first. Open a version to read it in full. “What changed” shows the differences paragraph by paragraph; ✦ lines are AI-written from the texts themselves.

Timeline

  1. Outcome
  2. 30 April 2024 Published in the Official Journal

    The act is now EU law.

  3. 11 April 2024 Signed by the Presidents of Parliament and the Council

    The last step before the act is published in the Official Journal.

  4. Plenary stage
  5. 27 February 2024 Plenary vote
    Sitting of 27 February 2024 📄 Adopted text TA9-0093/2024📄 Report A9-0087/2023
    Adopted Adopted by an overwhelming majority
    For 499 Against 100 Abstained 23

    Final vote on the provisional agreement at 12:31 · 80% of votes cast in favour · every MEP’s position →

  6. 26 February 2024 Debated in plenary

    MEPs debated the text in the chamber ahead of the vote.

    Sitting of 26 February 2024 📄 Council / Commission text C9-0466/2021📄 Report A9-0087/2023
  7. Negotiations with the Council
  8. 11 December 2023 Committee approved the deal reached with the Council

    The provisional agreement from the trilogues goes to the whole Parliament for a vote.

  9. 17 April 2023 Plenary endorsed the mandate to negotiate with the Council

    Parliament’s negotiators can now seek a compromise text with the Council (in “trilogues”).

  10. Plenary stage
  11. 28 March 2023 Report tabled for plenary

    This is the text all MEPs vote on. Political groups can still table amendments to it.

    📄 Report A9-0087/2023
  12. Committee stage
  13. 21 March 2023 Committee vote: report adopted

    JURI (Legal Affairs) voted on the amendments and adopted the report that goes to plenary.

  14. 6 February 2023 LIBE (Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs) adopted its opinion

    The opinion is attached to the report for the lead committee to consider.

    📄 Opinion (LIBE)
  15. 30 November 2022 DEVE (Development) adopted its opinion

    The opinion is attached to the report for the lead committee to consider.

    📄 Opinion (DEVE)
  16. 30 November 2022 PETI (Petitions) adopted its opinion

    The opinion is attached to the report for the lead committee to consider.

    📄 Opinion (PETI)
  17. 25 October 2022 ENVI (Environment, Climate and Food Safety) adopted its opinion

    The opinion is attached to the report for the lead committee to consider.

    📄 Opinion (ENVI)
  18. 12 October 2022 Draft report published

    The rapporteur’s first text in JURI (Legal Affairs). Members can table amendments before the committee votes.

    📄 Draft report (JURI)
  19. 5 October 2022 Draft opinion from LIBE (Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs)

    An associated committee gives its view to the lead committee.

    📄 Draft opinion (LIBE)
  20. 13 July 2022 Draft opinion from DEVE (Development)

    An associated committee gives its view to the lead committee.

    📄 Draft opinion (DEVE)
  21. 21 June 2022 Draft opinion from PETI (Petitions)

    An associated committee gives its view to the lead committee.

    📄 Draft opinion (PETI)
  22. 27 April 2022 Draft opinion from ENVI (Environment, Climate and Food Safety)

    An associated committee gives its view to the lead committee.

    📄 Draft opinion (ENVI)
  23. 27 January 2022 Referred to the JURI (Legal Affairs) committee

    The lead committee prepares the report; DEVE (Development), ENVI (Environment, Climate and Food Safety), PETI (Petitions), LIBE (Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs) give an opinion.