Strengthening EU Environmental Law: Legal Perspectives on Greening Europe
Welcome to the Environmental Law Lecture series! In this series, environmental law scholars will provide important insights on how EU environmental law helps to achieve a high level of environmental protection in the European Union and beyond.
Environmental Law Lecture series #1:
The series kicks off with an opening lecture by Professor Michael Faure titled “Criminal Law as an Enforcement System of the Environmental Acquis”. The lecture focuses on environmental criminal law, which is crucial given the compliance deficit that is prevalent in EU environmental law.
Professor Faure addresses the question of how to strengthen enforcement in an appropriate way, and provides a critical analysis of the role of criminal law in enforcing the EU's environmental acquis within Member States. He specifically examines the 2008 Environmental Crime Directive and its major challenges, and discusses how criminal law can lead to a level playing field and avoid a race to the bottom between Member States.
The lecture also explores the relationship between criminal law and other instruments in the regulatory toolkit, such as administrative and civil sanctions. Professor Faure addresses whether criminal law can intervene even when the conditions of regulation have been followed, and whether so-called ecocide-type crimes can be criminalized in an autonomous manner.
This inaugural lecture sets the tone for the series and provides a deep dive into the possibilities and challenges of using criminal law as an enforcement mechanism for EU environmental law. Don't miss out on this important lecture series for anyone interested in environmental law and policy!
Biography
Prof. Dr. Michael G. Faure LL.M. became academic director of the Maastricht European institute for transnational legal research (METRO) and professor of Comparative and International Environmental Law at the law faculty of Maastricht University in September 1991. He still holds both positions today.
In addition, he is academic director of the Ius Commune Research School and member of the board of directors of Ectil. Since the first of February 2008, he is half time professor of comparative private law and economics at the Rotterdam Insitute of Law & Economics (RILE) of the Erasmus University in Rotterdam and academic director of the European Doctorate in Law and Economics (EDLE) programme. Since 1982 he is equally attorney at the Antwerp Bar. He publishes in the areas of environmental (criminal) law, tort and insurance and economic analysis of (accident) law.
Lecture Series
This lecture is part of a series that runs from 2023 to 2024, providing students and scholars with core insights into the current state of EU environmental law and how it can be improved to achieve greater environmental protection. All lectures will be recorded and made accessible through YouTube, and the series is freely accessible to all.
If you'd like to know more about the other upcoming lectures:
This GreenDeal-Net lecture serie is hosted by MCEL, METRO and organised in cooperation with GLaw-Net and GreenDeal-NET. Maastricht University students will be eligible for certificates of attendance (see more information under the registration link).