(Acts adopted pursuant to Title VI of the Treaty on European Union) COUNCIL FRAMEWORK DECISION 2003/80/JHA of 27 January 2003 on the protection of the environment through criminal law THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty on European Union, and in particular Article 29, Article 31(e) and Article 34(2)(b) thereof, Having regard to the initiative of the Kingdom of Denmark (1), Having regard to the opinions of the European Parliament (2), Whereas: (1) The Union is concerned at the rise in environmental offences and their effects, which are increasingly extending beyond the borders of the States in which the offences are committed. (2) Such offences pose a threat to the environment and therefore call for a tough response. (3) Environmental offences are a problem jointly faced by Member States, which should therefore take concerted action to protect the environment under criminal law (3). (4) The European Commission has submitted in March 2001 a proposal for a Direc...