Moving Forward
Speakers’ Corner: Conference Feedback from Delegates
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“The plea from the Amazon was heartfelt and concerning. Somebody in Brazil must have the responsibility to enforce CITES [the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora]. Maybe through our international obligations we can ask the question: Who is looking after CITES and what are they doing in the Amazon?”
“I especially liked the presentations about case studies and concrete results and would like to see more of those at future conferences.”
“I thought it would be a good idea to talk more about the creative orders that the prosecutors from Canada and Australia brought up. I propose we dedicate a workshop to gather those and see what others are doing. We could pool them all together in a central place, so when you prosecute these matters you can draw on them for inspiration to suggest sanctioning.”
“I’m really fond of learning from others, so I would like to hear more case studies and best practices.”
“Introducing our organisations and being part of each other’s conferences is interesting, but it’s even more interesting to actually work together. That’s why we need to share the results of our operations and try to organise action together, instead of only discussing our strategies and ambitions.”
“It was especially interesting to hear from countries outside of the EU. Since this environmental crime is an international problem, maybe the conference’s perspective should be: How to deal with international prosecution and how to deal with the quantification of the damage. That last issue is particularly difficult to define for us prosecutors when we have to claim damages before court.”
“I’ve been very impressed with what the EU is doing with respect to waste management and waste control. My suggestion would be to reach out to other countries who aren’t doing their part, to share those learnings.”
“Perhaps we should focus more on case studies in the future. I think it’s very interesting to hear from other countries and legal systems across the globe.”
“It’s not always easy to keep motivated as a prosecutor due to limited time and resources. So for me it was very inspiring to hear about the work LIFE+ Reason for Hope is doing to save the bald ibis.”
“It was great to see that all the participants were so interested in our legal system and prosecutors. My key takeaway is that we face the same problems across the globe and it is important to collaborate. The cooperation between different ideas, philosophies and legal frameworks can be mutually beneficial.”
“The speech about cultural differences was very interesting. We are all aware of legal and cultural differences, and that’s why we are much more able to cooperate and be open to our colleagues. Probably the best way to find solutions is by getting to know each other.”
“For a prosecutor it’s difficult to combine legal and scientific knowledge. That’s why expert speakers from IMPEL and other specialised organisations are very important to us.”
“During the conference I compiled two pages of ideas to bring home. For me, as a newcomer, it was very interesting to hear about the different international and European networks and organisations. It could be an idea to cover them in a separate break-out session, so next year’s newcomers also have a chance to hear about them.”
“I agree that the focus of the conference should be on case studies. Case studies will raise a lot of questions and probably provide a lot of answers too.”
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Closing Remarks
Renske Mackor, Assistant to the National Member for the Netherlands at Eurojust
Tips and Tricks for Cross-Cultural Cooperation
Esther Janssen, Managing Director Culture-Inc.
What Did You Think?
“This is my third ENPE conference and I still find new colleagues and legal professionals from other countries to talk to. I really appreciate being able to talk in person about national approaches and our current cases. I also enjoy hearing about concrete projects in the break-out sessions; they encourage me to do even better in my work.”
“Just as important as the presentations are the informal dialogues I get to have with colleagues from all over Europe. We discuss aspects from cases and share our experiences. As for the presentations, I prefer talks about concrete issues such as how high the fines should be for corporate penalties. That is really interesting and useful.”
“I came here to talk to colleagues from countries that, like Portugal, have to deal with specific matters, such as waste trafficking and the trafficking of endangered species. I was happily surprised by the presentation from a Dutch police officer about vessel scrap and the waste it causes. I was unaware this was an issue, but surely it happens in Portugal as well. So I am glad it was brought to my attention.”
Acknowledgements
The 2019 ‘International collaboration & co-operation in the fight against environmental crime’ conference was organised by the European Network of Prosecutors for the Environment (ENPE) and Eurojust.
We are grateful for the support of the EU LIFE programme in our work in this area and acknowledge the contribution made by them to this conference.
Colophon
This e-zine was commissioned by ENPE and produced by Magazine on the Spot.
Proofreader: Julia Gorodecky
Concept, copy and coordination: Julie de Graaf
Videography: Jan Stap
Photography: Alexandra Pantavou (for Eurojust)
Design: Lisanne Gottenbos
