23/06/2021 (Agence Europe) – At the request of the Stop Ecocide Foundation, a panel of twelve international experts published, on Tuesday 22 June, a definition of the term ‘ecocide’, proposing that it be included in the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court, to recognise ecocide as an international crime. According to this definition, ecocide refers to “unlawful or wanton acts committed with knowledge that there is a substantial likelihood of severe and either widespread or long-term damage to the environment being caused by those acts”. Marie Toussaint MEP (Greens/EFA, France), who is very committed to this issue, welcomed the initiative: “As an MEP, I commit myself to tirelessly bring the definition proposed by this panel to the attention of the Union and its Member States, so that they support the amendments now proposed to the Rome Statute”. She also recalled that the European Parliament had already expressed its support for the recognition of ecocide on several occasions (see EUROPE 12723/19). See the panel proposal: https://bit.ly/3wVdvp8 (DG)