Article 3 - Combating environmental crime: illegal cross-border waste transport and utilising modern technologies

Abstract

This contribution provides a comprehensive introduction to the issue of environmental crime and illegal cross-border waste trafficking, with a focus on the EU legislation to combat these phenomena. The article begins by presenting a wide range of challenges associated with environmental crime and its impact on the environment and public health. It includes a definition of the scientific methods used in the creation of this contribution. 
The article describes the EU tools available, such as the Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment (SOCTA), European multidisciplinary platform against criminal threats (Empact) and Secure Information Exchange Network Application (SIENA), which are key instruments used to monitor and suppress criminal threats in the realm of organised crime, of which environmental crime is a part. The article analyses their utilisation and effectiveness in identifying, monitoring and penalising actors engaged in environmental crime and their illegal activities within the EU. 
Another section is dedicated to illegal cross-border waste trafficking, encompassing the global scope of waste production, definitions of key terms, and statistical data collected by Eurostat, which illustrate the extent and severity of this problem. In the section focused on combating this issue, the contribution examines the use of modern technologies, particularly unmanned vehicles and methods such as lidar and photogrammetry, as effective tools for detecting and investigating illegal activities related to cross-border waste transport, providing specific 
examples of their use. There is a focus on the experiences of the Slovak police using these tools in real-world conditions and their contribution to combating illegal waste transport. In the concluding section of the contribution, current challenges and future prospects in the fight against illegal waste transport are identified, with an emphasis on the need for further action, cooperation and innovation in this field.