The Community is concerned about the growing number of environmental crimes and their effects, which are increasingly spreading beyond the borders of the States in which they are committed. Such crimes pose a threat to the environment and therefore require an appropriate response. The experience has shown that current sanctioning systems have not been sufficient to ensure full compliance with environmental protection legislation. Such compliance can and should be strengthened by the provision of criminal sanctions, which demonstrate a qualitatively different kind of social disapproval compared to administrative sanctions or a compensation mechanism based on civil law. The solution would lie in having common rules on environmental crime, the possibility of using efficient investigation and assistance methods within and between Member States. Moreover, in this study we are presenting a retrospective of the regulatory framework specific to environmental liability and protection through criminal instruments applicable at European level.