This Law, implementing the Directive 2008/99/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of the environment through criminal Law, provides for the establishment of criminal Law measures, in order to effectively protect the environment, and therefore defines the following relevant terms: waste; waste management; damage, as direct or indirect adverse change or degradation of air, soil, water, animals, plant and their habitats; special conservation areas and special protection zones; dangerous substances and mixtures; ionising radiation; radioactive substances; habitat of species within a protected area.
The Law specifies offences and related penalties in case of carrying out the following activities: discharge, emission or import of materials of radiation in the air, on the soil or in the water; collection, transport and disposal of waste, hazardous substances and radioactive materials; killing, illegal possession or capture of protected species of wild flora and fauna; trade in protected wildlife species; any conduct causing substantive degradation of habitats and protected areas; production, import, export and placing on the market of substances that destroy the ozone layer. The Law concerns: definition of protected species of wild flora and fauna, according to the European and National Legislation; definition of substantial damage to air, water, soil quality and to animals, plants and human health; criminal offences committed autonomously or by co-authors; Ministerial power to issue Regulations for the implementation of the Law. The Annex includes a list of Legislation whose breach constitutes illegal conduct according to this Law.