End Ecocide!

Slow Food and the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity have joined an important initiative, ‘End Ecocide in Europe’, which is calling for cases of serious environmental destruction to be recognized as a crime.

‘End Ecocide in Europe’ is a European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI), a democratic tool that enables EU citizens to propose amendments to European law and participate directly in the development of EU policies. Unlike other petitions, an ECI legal authority to influence politics. According to the initiative, if at least one million EU citizens from seven different countries support a petition, the proposal must be discussed at European level.

The petition is calling for the introduction of direct criminal liability for individuals and companies responsible for ecocide, defined as “extensive damage to, destruction or loss of ecosystems of a given territory.”

The proposed directive will be applied in cases of ecocide within the EU, but also in other countries if caused by European companies or citizens. Ecocide caused by the import of goods or services in Europe, or funded by European banks or financial institutions will also be included.

Today we live in a world where “widespread, long-term and severe damage to the natural environment” is only recognized as a war crime (Article 8.2 of the Rome Statute), meaning that during times of peace, companies and individuals are free to destroy the planet without any legal consequence. We believe it is time to put an end to this absurdity.

Vote to protect our natural habitat: www.endecocide.eu

To verify your identity, it is necessary to provide your address and date of birth when signing. In some countries, such as Italy, it is also compulsory to provide an ID number.

Find out more about Slow Food’s work on European policies at www.slowfood.com/sloweurope