To strengthen criminal legal protection of the environment, the Saeima adopted amendments to the Criminal Law in the final reading on 1 October. They establish harsher penalties for serious environmental crimes, while simultaneously clarifying the conditions for applying criminal liability in environmental crime cases.

The adopted amendments establish criminal liability for serious environmental offences, including pollution, unlawful activities involving hazardous substances, illegal pollution of the sea, violations of waste management regulations and other acts that cause significant harm to the environment. Criminal liability is also established for the intentional introduction and spread of invasive alien species, for activities conducted without a legally required environmental impact assessment, the destruction of specially protected species and their habitats, as well as the illegal placing on the market of certain agricultural and forestry products in significant quantities.

For the most serious environmental crimes, the amendments provide for imprisonment of up to eight, ten or, in certain cases, even twelve years. Such penalties will be applied if irreversible damage has been caused to the environment, protected ecosystems have been destroyed, or other serious consequences have occurred. At the same time, specific cases that will exempt individuals from criminal liability have been clarified, ensuring it is not applied to persons who have complied with regulatory requirements and have not intentionally caused harm to specially protected species or their habitats, as well as to persons who are controlling the spread of invasive alien species.

Stricter penalties will also apply to several environmental crimes, including violations of waste management regulations, pollution of the atmosphere and the sea, forest fires, and the concealment of data regarding environmental pollution.

In the final reading, the Saeima also adopted related amendments to the Law “On the Procedure for the Entry into Force and Application of the Criminal Law”, which clarify the criteria for assessing environmental damage.

The amendments were drafted to align Latvian regulations with the 2024 European Parliament and Council Directive on the protection of the environment through criminal law, strengthening the fight against serious environmental crimes across the entire European Union.