Adopted are the laws on the environmental impact assessment, strategic environmental impact assessment, integrated prevention and control of pollution and environmental protection.
The Environmental Protection Bill envisages a national programme and tightening of penalties in case of contravening its stipulations. It introduces the ‘the polluter pays’ principle, according to which the polluters will be obligated to pay compensation for polluting the environment.
The Bill envisages the establishment of the Agency for Environmental Protection and the Environmental Protection Fund.
Both legal and physical entities can register a certified system of environmental protection management in order to get included into the EU environmental protection management and control (EMAS system).
As regards penal policy, white-collar offences are fined with 150,000-3,000.000 Dinars if the legal entity uses natural resources without the ministry’s approval, if measures preventing the environmental damage are not applied while using natural resources, if certain species of wild flora and fauna are collected or sold and if protected animal and plant species are imported or exported.
The same fine applies to firms that do not take all the necessary safety measures in the management of hazardous substances, if they pollute the air, soil and water, produce substances that damage the ozone layer, import hazardous waste or transport waste without the ministry’s permission.
Fines ranging from 30,000 to 1,000.000 Dinars will apply to legal entities using the EMAS symbol although they are not registered with the system, as well as to those that have not informed the ministry about the defects in their equipment.
Persons disturbing, maltreating or hurting wild animals and destroying and devastating flora shall be fined up to 20,000 Dinars or sentenced to up to 30 days in prison.
