Page 115 - Supplemento 2-2016 (ENG)

Tackling Environmental Crime throUgh standardized Methodologies

We have to implement European regulations. In Italy there are 19 bird
species classified as Spec 2 and Spec 3 which are still huntable: they end up in
the game bags despite the fact that their conditions of conservation are not sui-
table, are negative. In light of the Community Law and of common sense, all
this becomes absolutely unacceptable.

I would like - and I believe a strong request should be addressed to our
Parliament representatives - to see the gap in the implementation of internatio-
nal and European laws filled with regard to the protection of endangered spe-
cies. I wish to highlight a further weakness today as I feel this is a great day and
as such it must the opportunity for a sincere reflection.

A further weakness, as I was saying earlier, is to be found in the field of
justice and in particular in that infelicitous institution of the “minor nature of
the offence” which was passed last year despite our attempt to stop it. I can
assure that members of associations, not only from our association, can be
rather obstinate. Despite our attempts to abort such provision a worrying legi-
slative decree was passed.

We reached what is usually called the limitation of the damage but that
wasn’t enough. The “minor nature of the offence” is not the decriminalisation
of offences considered minor: it is, rather, the non-liability to punishment.
What is going on the judiciary offices? We are afraid it’s happening what we
suspected: in other words, for the sake of clearing – in the dialect of Rome peo-
ple would say “smucchiare”- their workload of proceedings, which are so many,
they are quickly archiving them.

Quite often we don’t even have information that those proceedings that are
archived. There are other issues which are omitted, such as those connected with
the killing of animals: who is the claimant? Who should be sent the notification
to? This is another critical point. For the “minor nature of the offence” we should
apply what in Europe is applied to the “Birds and Habitat” directives. We should
apply to it a sort of fitness check. We should do a sort of “servicing” to this law.
I have reasons to believe that the Parliament should reflect seriously on this.

I would like to say so many more things because for me this was the
opportunity to see important interlocutors all gathered in the same place. I wish
to give you one final consideration regarding regulations.

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