10/10/2019 (Agence Europe) – On Thursday, 10 October, the European Commission launched a public consultation to assess whether the directive on the protection of the environment through criminal law has achieved its objectives. The directive in question requires that EU Member States deal with certain activities that harm the environment, such as criminal offences: trade in endangered species; destruction of protected habitats; production, manufacture, or handling of nuclear materials or any other radioactive substance; and excessive pollution of water, air, or soil. The Commission specifies that the public consultation will also assess the results from all Member States during the directive’s period of application (from 2011 to 2018). Stakeholders have until 2 January to comment. (MF)