Creation of structural approach related to training of Environmental Inspectors in Azerbaijan

1. Creation of structural approach related to training of Environmental Inspectors in Azerbaijan Environmental violations and legal actions taken to eliminate its consequences and international experience in this field Baku,2012

2. Module structure • Environmental violations • Goals of enforcement measures  • Response mechanisms • Formal mechanisms of legal actions • Juridical responsibility for environmental damage • Application of monetary penalties • Aggravating circumstances in violations of environmental lows • Main enforcement strategies • Examples from international experience

3. Environmental violations Despite all preventive measures, the environment is harmed - sometimes as a result of intentional or negligent Law enforcement is not only directed at addressing the violations, it also creates an atmosphere in which subjects are encouraged to regulatory compliance, because the state has demonstrated its readiness to act when it detects evidence of non-compliance.

4. Goals of enforcement measures - Enforcement mechanisms can be designed to perform one orseveral functions - Punishment and deterrence of offenders and, thus, prevention of violations;- Elimination of the economic benefit of noncompliance, and thus maintain a fair competition;- The requirement to take specific measures to analyze, monitor, or the provision of information;- Compensation for environmental damage;- Overcoming the problems of internal management of the company

5. Response mechanisms Informal mechanisms Informal responses may include telephone calls, site visits, warning letters and notices of violations.  The purpose of informal action is to force the offender to comply with the requirements, or to initiate a formal legal process.  By themselves, the informal response is not a punishment and may not have the force of legal actions, but they can lead to more serious responses, if they are ignored.

6. Summary of the informal response to somesituation in the UK

7. Response mechanisms • Official responses to non-compliance: • - Changing the conditions laid down in the permit, and permit suspension or cancellation;- Financial penalties (fines), administrative or judicial that accumulate over the life of an illegal situation;- The seizure of property, closingenterprises or mandatory corrective action that may require administrative or judicial order (and be forced, when the authorities have used the remedy at the expense of the offender;- Criminal penalties

8. Formal mechanisms of legal actions Formal mechanisms are either civil or criminal conventionally.  Civil action may be taken either in the administrative (ie, applied directly to law enforcement agency), or a court order (ie, applied by the court or other judicial body).  Civil juridical protection means you are compensatory (as well as punitive, if prevention of violations should be maximized), which is usually expressed as the imposition of monetary sanctions Authority to use the formal enforcement mechanisms must be provided by law.

9. Formal mechanisms of legal actions Civil judicial enforcement actions - it's official actions brought in court. In some countries for the implementation of environmental laws are used exclusively civil lawsuits. In other countries have adopted both administrative and judicial mechanisms for the enforcement of civil enforcement powers. 9

10. Formal mechanisms of legal actions The criminal court responses are generally considered appropriate when some physical person or entity knowingly or willfully violated the law (intent), or in any other way committed a violation for which the company found it necessary to impose the most severe of penalties prescribed by law. While criminal response may be the most difficult type of enforcement to inspect, they at the same time can provide the greatest deterrent effect, as directly affect the lives of those who have been prosecuted, and carry the social impact that has little importance. 10

11. Juridical responsibility for environmental damage Norms of legal responsibility (liability), a dual role in environmental management. First, in the event of accidental releases of hazardous contaminants gating into the atmosphere, water or soil, these regulations define the responsibilities of the polluters in respect of compensation to victims of damage caused to them (damage assessment, caused to third parties), the consequences of such pollution, as well as compensation to the State for the environment (assessment of damages in-family resources).  Second, liability rules may encourage businesses to invest in reducing and preventing pollution, even if it is not required by law. As such, liability for damage plays a role of an incentive to comply with environmental requirements.

12. Application of monetary penalties Monetary penalty (ie fines, restitution) is a penalty that applies to most common offenders.  The small-sized sanction, as a rule, is regarded as a cost of doing business and still not improve the behaviorin relation to the environment.  Only monetary penalty of large size can be a strong incentive to comply with the law, forcing the offender to pay much more than what was obtained as a result of non-compliance. 12

13. Application of monetary penalties • Principles of application of monetary penalties: • Calculation of the amount of penalty taking into account appropriated economic profit as a result of non-compliance with the requirements of environmental protection  • Calculation of the amount of penalty taking into account the scope, intensiveness, period and other aggravating or mitigating circumstances • - Calculation of the amount of penalties taking into account financial opportunities of the enterprise 13

14. Aggravating circumstances in violations of environmental lows • Significant damage to the environment or to the health of population or creation of such threat • Pollution of the environment with toxic and hazardous substances • Violation with the aim of economic profit • Being long-tem process or frequent violation • Violation of intended group of people • - Creating obstacles for the assessment, submitting false document, offering bribe and so on. 14

15. Main enforcement strategies • -  Proportionality - to take enforcement action proportional to the risks to the environment and the severity of violation of the law above; • Consistency - a similar approach to the use of authority and decisions in similar circumstances to achieve similar goals; • Transparency - it helps to understand the objects they controland others, what is expected of them and what they can expect from authorities; • Hardness - hard limit approach establishes limits of the flexibility. Limits should be valid and rigorous; • Fairness - the public and the objects you in controlgenerally supportive of fair and do not agree with injustice. The validity of the aid is assumed to establish the rule of law and, thus, improve the environment. 15

16. Main enforcement strategies For example, in the United Kingdom, the inspectors involved in issuing permits and conducting inspections, are also involved in law enforcement and assist the prosecution. There are standard procedures for the implementation of enforcement actions that inspectors are guided in their actions. In Scotland, where there are other powers in the adoption of coercive measures as a guide for drafting documents and presentation of cases ("How to win a lawsuit, quality manuals and reports submitted by the attorney on tax issues: a guide for non-police reporting agencies").All these documents are the basis for decisions on the use of coercive measures, but the decisions are made on an individual basis by the inspectors and their supervisors. 16

17. Main enforcement strategies In England and Wales, Environmental Protection Agency uses the following classification scheme for the seriousness of incidents of pollution: Category 1 - a serious impact on the environment;  Category 2 - significant impact on the environment; Category 3 - negligible impact on the environment, Category 4 - the lack of impact on the environment. These categories are considered in determining appropriate enforcement sanctions 17

18. Main enforcement strategies For serious incidents, it is the issue with the prosecution. In England and Wales and Northern Ireland decision to prosecute is taken the appropriate department.  Typically, this is a joint decision of lawyers and the organization of chief inspector in Northern Ireland or of a committee of inspectors in England and Wales. The decision reflects the seriousness of the case, the weight of evidence that are available to ensure successful case, and the response measures taken by the previous claims, to ensure that after the sequential approach.  In Scotland, the Environmental Protection Agency can not authorize itself to prosecute, because Scottish law is based on different basis 18

19. Abandon the policy of tolerance for illegal activity, tightening legal actions in the Netherlands In accordance with the guidelines for national-level inspection of the province is using this tool only under strict conditions and in the following circumstances: - In case of force majeure, ie circumstances beyond the control of the offender;- In transition situations (for example, in anticipation of the rules and regulations, which will be allowed certain activities, while being illegal, or if the resolution is partially annulled and a new permit only preparation);- If the rigid enforcement leads to a situation harmful to the environment (eg, cessation of recycling, since the resolution is not ready yet).In situations where the failure to allow inspection of the legislation adopted by a clear decision on imposition of certain conditions (the active assumption of illegal activity).  Typically, this situation can not last more than six months, and this only applies to those situations which, in principle, be legalized. The use of passive approval of illegal activities is prohibited. . 19

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