European Network of Prosecutors for the Environment

What European Network of Prosecutors for the Environment does

European Network of Prosecutors for the Environment (ENPE), legally ENPE AISBL (Association Internationale Sans-But Lucratif), is a Brussels-registered non-profit international association founded informally in September 2012 and formally incorporated by Royal Decree in Belgium on 1 September 2016. Its mission is to promote a consistent approach to prosecuting environmental crime across Europe by connecting environmental prosecutors, regulators, and related institutions through working groups (Wildlife Crime, Waste & Illegal Pesticides, Pollution), annual conferences, workshops, newsletters, and training materials. The network is run by a volunteer Board drawn from senior prosecutors in EU Member States, with secretariat support provided by the Environment Agency in England; the network has grown from 8 members in 7 countries to 76 members and observers representing 39 countries.

ENPE is not a technology product company. Its core offering is a membership-based professional network; there are no commercial software products, APIs, or paid service tiers. Membership is free and open to prosecuting authorities from EU Member States, candidate/EEA/EFTA countries, and observer organisations from beyond Europe. The organization distributes its outputs through a website, a periodic newsletter (Issues 21-26 documented from 2023-2026), annual and biennial conferences (including the 4 Networks Conference series with IMPEL, EUFJE, and EnviCrimeNet), and joint workshops with partners such as Eurojust, UNODC, and UNEP CMS.

ENPE's revenue model is grant-funded rather than commercial. Operating capital comes from EU LIFE Programme grants under a Framework Partnership Agreement with DG Environment (FPA ref ENV.E.4/FRA/2022/02), which succeeded the prior 5-year LIFE-ENPE project (LIFE14 UK/000043, 2015-2020). The organization is currently positioning itself as an implementation partner for the new Environmental Crime Directive (EU) 2024/1203, including the Article 21 national-strategy obligations on Member States due by 21 May 2027.

Name

European Network of Prosecutors for the Environment

Legal name

ENPE AISBL (Association Internationale Sans-But Lucratif)

Website

https://environmentalprosecutors.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ENPE is a Brussels-based non-profit international association of environmental prosecutors from 39 countries, funded by EU LIFE Programme grants, that promotes consistent prosecution of environmental crime across Europe through working groups, conferences, and training.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Legal Network Services

NAICS

Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAIAOAM

Environmental Compliance & Enforcement Agencies

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Regulatory Agencies & Licensing (Cross-sector)

SECONDARYBPAHAJAL

EHS Training, Competency & Culture Programs

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) Consulting

SECONDARYBPAHAJAG

EHS Auditing, Inspections & Assurance

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) Consulting

Keywords

• Environmental crime prosecution
• Prosecutor network services
• Environmental law enforcement
• Regulatory capacity building
• Cross-border judicial cooperation

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. EU LIFE Programme Funding: ENPE receives operating grants under the EU Directorate General for Environment (DG ENV) Framework Partnership Agreement (FPA) reference ENV.E.4/FRA/2022/02 under the LIFE Programme. Specific Action and Operating Grants have been awarded for network development and operational activities.
2. Membership: ENPE membership is free. The network does not charge fees for membership, which provides access to ENPE's events, training materials, research papers, and working group outputs.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ENPE is a non-profit professional network that supports prosecutors across Europe in enforcing environmental criminal law. Its core offerings are free membership, three specialist working groups (Wildlife Crime, Waste & Illegal Pesticides, Pollution), annual conferences, regional workshops, periodic newsletters, and published guidance designed to promote consistent prosecution of environmental crime and cross-border judicial cooperation.

Product overview

ENPE is a professional network organization (not a software product company) that connects environmental prosecutors across Europe. Its core offering is a membership-based network providing collaboration tools, working groups, conferences, training materials, newsletters, and guidance documents for prosecutors fighting environmental crime. The organization operates through three main working groups (Wildlife Crime, Waste & Illegal Pesticides, and Pollution), organizes annual conferences, and publishes periodic newsletters. There are no distinct software products, modules, or commercial service offerings to enumerate.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wildlife Crime Working Group A specialist working group that explores major issues of interpretation, practical application, evidence gathering, and quantification of environmental damage that hinder efficient prosecution of wildlife crime across Europe. Open to ENPE members and observers working on wildlife and environmental enforcement.
• Waste & Illegal Pesticides Working Group A specialist working group that exchanges experiences and best practices in combating violations of the EU Waste Shipment Regulation and illegal pesticides cases. Open to ENPE members and observers.
• Pollution Working Group A specialist working group that explores prosecution issues arising from non-compliance with industrial emissions and other major accident hazard laws across Europe. Open to ENPE members and observers.
• ENPE Annual Conference Annual in-person and virtual conference series bringing together environmental prosecutors from across Europe and beyond for networking, training, and knowledge sharing on environmental crime prosecution. Recent editions include Cork 2024 (57 delegates from 24 countries) and the 2025 4 Networks Conference in Bratislava (220+ in-person, 150+ online).
• ENPE Specialized Workshops and Training Specialized in-person and online workshops and training sessions on Wildlife Crime, Waste & Pesticides, Pollution, Environmental Crime Directive implementation, and adjacent topics. Delivered independently and jointly with partner networks (e.g., UNODC, UNEP CMS, Eurojust) for ENPE members and invited participants.

Quantifiable outcome

• 39 countries represented through membership
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• EurojustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2012ENPE holds joint conferences with Eurojust, the EU's Judicial Cooperation Unit. Eurojust provides support for cross-border judicial cooperation in environmental crime cases. The 2019 ENPE conference was jointly held with Eurojust at their headquarters in The Hague.
• IMPEL (European Union Network for the Implementation and Enforcement of Environmental Law)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerENPE collaborates with IMPEL on joint conferences including the 4 Networks Conference series. IMPEL focuses on implementation and enforcement of environmental law by regulatory authorities.
• EUFJE (European Union Forum of Judges for the Environment)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerENPE works with EUFJE (European Forum of Judges for the Environment) to complete the chain of representative bodies for environmental crime enforcement from inspectors through prosecutors to judges.
• EnviCrimeNetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerENPE participates in the 4 Networks Conference series with EnviCrimeNet, an informal network of contacts aiming to enhance effectiveness in tackling criminal activities against the environment.
• UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerENPE's Waste and Illegal Pesticides Working Group organized a joint workshop on Illegal Pesticides with UNODC in Vienna on 28-29 November 2024.
• UNEP CMS (United Nations Environment Programme Convention on Migratory Species)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerENPE Wildlife Crime Working Group partnered with UNEP CMS for a workshop on Illegal Killing, Taking and Trade in Migratory Birds held in Segovia, Spain in May 2018.
• EuropolmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerENPE collaborates with Europol on environmental crime enforcement, particularly in the context of cross-border criminal activities and joint operations.
• ERA (European Academy of Law)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerENPE members have delivered environmental crime prosecution training at ERA workshops, including sessions on EU legislation to combat Wildlife Crime and Illegal Logging.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Europol: Europol is the EU's law enforcement agency. ENPE collaborates with Europol on environmental crime enforcement given the cross-border nature of serious environmental offenses, though Europol's scope is broader than ENPE's prosecutorial focus.
• Eurojust: Eurojust is the EU's Judicial Cooperation Unit supporting cross-border criminal investigations. ENPE partners with Eurojust for joint conferences and workshops (The Hague 2019, Zagreb 2026) due to overlapping mandates on cross-border environmental crime cases.
• UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime): UNODC is a UN agency working on crime and illicit trafficking. ENPE's Waste and Illegal Pesticides Working Group partnered with UNODC on a joint workshop in Vienna in November 2024, given overlapping mandates on illegal pesticides and waste trafficking.
• UNEP: UNEP is the UN's environmental authority. ENPE's Wildlife Crime Working Group partnered with UNEP CMS on migratory bird crime workshops, given UNEP's role in environmental policy and ENPE's focus on environmental crime prosecution.

Direct peers

• EnviCrimeNet: EnviCrimeNet is an informal network of law-enforcement contacts targeting criminal activities against the environment. It is one of the four networks participating in the joint 4 Networks Conference alongside ENPE, focusing on the police/investigative stage of environmental crime enforcement.
• IMPEL (European Union Network for the Implementation and Enforcement of Environmental Law): IMPEL is the sister network focusing on environmental law implementation and enforcement by regulatory authorities. ENPE and IMPEL jointly organize the 4 Networks Conference series and cover complementary stages of the environmental enforcement chain (inspectors vs. prosecutors).
• INECE (International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement): INECE is an international network promoting environmental compliance and enforcement globally. Comparable to ENPE in its mission to build capacity among environmental enforcement practitioners, but with broader international scope beyond Europe.
• EUFJE (European Union Forum of Judges for the Environment): EUFJE is the judges-focused counterpart that completes the environmental enforcement chain alongside ENPE (prosecutors) and IMPEL (inspectors/enforcers). The two networks collaborate on joint conferences and training initiatives.

Emerging players

• IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature): IUCN works on nature conservation and biodiversity, including wildlife crime issues. ENPE collaborates with IUCN and CITES on wildlife crime enforcement given IUCN's expertise on species protection that complements ENPE's prosecutorial focus.

Others

• European Commission DG Environment: DG Environment is the EU Commission's policy directorate for environment and ENPE's primary funder under the LIFE Programme. It is the principal commissioning body driving ENPE's programmatic agenda on environmental law enforcement.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/european-network-of-prosecutors-for-the-environment

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about European Network of Prosecutors for the Environment