Environmental criminal law

The penal provisions of environmental criminal law are contained in the Criminal Code (sections 324 et seq.) as well as numerous other acts, for example the Pollution Control Act, the Closed Cycle and Waste Management Act and the Water Management Act, which primarily relate to administrative offences.

Environmental criminal law is closely linked to administrative law, as it sanctions the violation of environmental law requirements, such as non-compliance with specific threshold values or failure to obtain the requisite consent. Under environmental criminal law, it is solely the failure to comply with the formal requirements of administrative law that is punishable.
Of even greater significance under criminal law are incidents that pollute water, soil or air, which may lead to criminal charges under section 324, 324a or 325 of the Criminal Code.