Carole M. Billiet, Peter Desmedt & Hans Van Landeghem, Vlaamse milieuhandhaving nieuwe stijl [New vintage Flemish environmental law enforcement], Tijdschrift voor Milieurecht 2009, 326-374
The enforcement of environmental law in the Flemish Region did undergo a far-reaching reorganization in 2007-2009. The new Book XVI ‘Inspection, enforcement and security measures’ of the Decree of 5 April 1995 holding general environmental policy provisions (Environmental Enforcement Decree 2007, Extension Decree 2009, Environmental Enforcement Order 2008-2009, and other executive orders) (entry into force of the main laws on the 1st of May and the 25th of June 2009) signs for the foundations of a more coherent enforcement policy, uniform inspection rules, a very important consolidation and extension of the range of remedial administrative sanctions (called “measures”), the introduction of an alternative (soft depenalization) and an exclusive (hard depenalization) administrative fining system, and an in-depth remodeling of the criminal law sanctioning tools. This paper discusses the most captivating innovations of the new law. The analysis connects where possible to existing and relevant empirical data.
Full publication (Dutch) here.