This brief describes the weaknesses of the EU's approach in tackling environmental crime identified in a SWOT analysis. It provides a baseline from which policy recommendations on how to improve environmental crime enforcement are developed at EU, Member State and international levels. issues discussed include

• data and information management
• further harmonisation of substantive environmental criminal law at EU level
• System of sanctions (administrative vs. criminal vs. civil proceedings
• Functioning of enforcement institutions and cooperation between them
• The role of environmental crime victims and civil society
• External dimension of environmental crime – what can EU do
• Use of environmental liability
• Organised environmental crime
• Corporate responsibility and liability in relation to environmental crime