ABSTRACT
Moves to promote co-operation at international level on the use of criminal law as a means to enforce environmental law have only relatively recently emerged onto the political agenda. So far, such discussions and legal developments have taken place predominantly within a European context, although various sources of international criminal law do target particular types of serious environmental crime.1 This chapter will focus on the impact of various recent political and legal developments that have occurred within the EU to promote greater and more formal co-operation between its Member States in relation to addressing instances of serious environmental criminal conduct causing actual and potential grave harm to the environment and/or to human, animal and plant health. By way of initial background, attention will be devoted briefly to considering the influence of the Council of Europe in stimulating international co-operation and debate in this area.
