Scientific Collection «InterConf», (39): with the Proceedings of the 8th International Scientific and Practical Conference «Science and Practice: Implementation to Modern Society» (December 26-28, 2020) at Manchester, Great Britain

Results obtained and discussions. The problem of water pollution is a relevant 
one not only for the Republic of Moldova, but also for all countries in the world. In 
many countries with developed economies, even a few decades ago, there were and are 
the same environmental problems that Moldova faces at the present stage. As a result, 
these countries have gained a wealth of experience in the fight against environmental 
crime, especially water. These countries, facing a high risk of environmental pollution, 
have taken very decisive protection measures to effectively counteract these risks. 
Criminal law measures have played an important role in all these countries. 
The norms of the penal codes in some CIS and EU countries, established
the responsibility for water pollution, formulating the components of crimes
both in material form, having a content similar to that of art. 229 CP RM as well as 
danger. 
In the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation [15], the act of water pollution is 
incriminated in art. 250 called “Water pollution”, the very name is identical to that of 
the crime of water pollution in the CP of the Republic of Moldova from art. 229. Art. 
250 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation is found in Section IX “Crimes 
against public security and public order”, chapter 26 “Ecological crimes”. In the basic 
provision, the acts of the criminal act involve pollution, clogging, depletion of surface 
or groundwater, water supply sources, or other changes in their physical properties if 
these actions have caused considerable damage to the animal or plant world, fishery 
resources, forestry or agriculture. The offense is punishable by a fine of up to 80,000 
rubles in the amount, equivalent to the salary or other income of the convicted person 
for a period of up to 6 months or deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or 
engage in certain activities for a period of up to 6 months. at 5 years either compulsory 
work for a period of up to 360 hours or corrective work for a period of up to one year, 
or imprisonment for up to 3 months. In para. (2) the criminal liability is aggravated if 
the same actions from par. (1) have caused harm to the health of the person or the mass 
death of animals as well as the commission on the territory of the reservation, either in 
an area of ecological disaster or in an area with an ecological emergency shall be 

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punished with a fine of up to 200000 rubles, or other income of the convicted person 
for a period of up to 18 months, either compulsory work for a period of up to 480 hours 
or corrective work for a period of up to 2 years, or forced labor for a period of up to 2 
years or imprisonment for the same term. In para. (3) the legislator mitigates the 
punishment for the actions provided in par. (1), para. (2) if they have recklessly caused 
the person's death. 
In the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan [16], the crime of water 
pollution is found in the normative provision of art. 281. For the qualification of the 
crime of water pollution, the person found guilty will be punished only with 
imprisonment of up to 5 years. If the water pollution inadvertently caused the person's 
death, then the minimum term of imprisonment may not be less than 2 years. 
A similar model of criminalizing the crime of water pollution is also identified in 
the criminal law of the Republic of Tajikistan [13]. Upon the qualification of the crime, 
the guilty person will be punished with community service for a term of up to 2 years, 
or deprivation of liberty for a period of 2 to 5 years. If the water pollution inadvertently 
caused the person's death, the guilty person will be punished in the form of 
imprisonment for a term of 5 to 8 years. 
The measures of criminal liability set out in the Criminal Code of the Republic of 
Kazakhstan and the Republic of Tajikistan show the recognition of the legislators of 
these countries how great is the danger in qualifying these types of crimes. At the same 
time, it is observed that the penalties for the crime of water pollution in these countries 
practically double compared to the penalties established in the Criminal Code of the 
Republic of Moldova. 
In the Criminal Code of the Kyrgyz Republic [12] the incrimination of the crime 
of water pollution takes place at art. 271 where it provides as a mandatory sign of the 
objective side, the occurrence of damage to the health of the population or other serious 
consequences. 
And, according to art. 196 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan 
[11], indicates the need to establish in the classification of the crime of water pollution 

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the mass illness of persons, the death of animals, birds or fish or other serious 
consequences. 
In the neighboring country Ukraine [10], the criminal liability for water pollution 
is placed at art. 242 C. penal. According to this article, criminal liability comes for 
violating the rules of water protection, if they have created a danger (threat) to human 
life and health. Reported to the disposition of art. 229 of the Criminal Code of the 
Republic of Moldova, which is a material one, the crime is considered committed 
(consumed) from the moment of committing the actions, ie creating the danger of these 
negative consequences. 
A sanctioning regime similar to that applied by Ukrainian criminal law in the field 
of water pollution is addressed by the criminal law of Belarus [4]. Thus, according to 
art. 272 of the Criminal Code of Belarus, the construction of the criminal component 
is also a formal one: the punishment is applied to the person who committed the 
pollution, either clogging the surface or groundwater, committed within one year after 
imposing an administrative penalty for the same violation. 
Of particular interest, in our opinion, is the approach to water protection through 
the Latvian penal code [14]. It should be noted that the rule of criminal liability for 
water pollution is provided in Chapter XI "Crimes against the natural environment", 
which in the structure of the code is ranked third after crimes against peace and security 
of mankind and crimes against the state. This fact indicates that the environment in 
Latvia is a more volatile object among the objects of legal and criminal protection than 
in the Republic of Moldova. 
In art. 102 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Latvia establishes the criminal 
liability for pollution, pollution or other negative impact on water, committed 
repeatedly during a year. The crime is presented as one with the composition of a 
formal crime - the crime is considered committed from the moment of repeated 
commission of the deed in the form of illegal water pollution. As a criterion for 
delimiting this crime from a contravention in this case, the sign of repeated commission 
of the illegal act is recognized. Such a construction of the composition of crime, 

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significantly increases the role of criminal law measures in the fight against water 
pollution, and in the conditions of the precarious situation of the environment we 
consider them justifying. 
According to art. 158 of the Estonian Criminal Code establishes the criminal 
liability for pollution, contamination or depletion of aquatic or atmospheric objectives, 
the composition of the crime being a material one, establishes as mandatory for 
qualification the consequences of the illegal act causing significant damage. Alin. (2) 
of the same article establishes the criminal liability for the illicit acts specified in par. 
(1), which causes considerable damage or other serious consequences [8]. 
In our opinion, this wording of the negative consequences of the crime can create 
serious difficulties for the application of this article in practice. For the qualification it 
is necessary to distinguish the criminal action from the contravention one according to 
the sign of the essential damages, as well as the distinction of the essential damages 
from considerable damages or other serious consequences. Therefore, if the concept of 
essential damage, considerable damage or other serious consequences are estimated, 
the distinction between them will be extremely subjective which is not conducive to 
the effective application of the rule in question. 
Environmental relations in the German state have a harmonious system and strict 
regulation. In the Criminal Code of Germany [6] the issue of the fight against 
environmental crimes is reflected in Section 29 "Crimes against the environment". The 
act of water pollution is attributed to art. 324 of the Criminal Code of Germany, which 
provides that criminal liability is imposed on the person who illegally (incompetently) 
pollutes the body of water or other changes in its qualities, which changes its qualities, 
harming him, is punishable by imprisonment up to 5 years or a fine. Alin. (3) of the 
same article provides for a milder punishment, if the perpetrator acted recklessly 
(negligence), the punishment is imprisonment for up to 3 years or a fine. 
This component of the crime is a formal one, because the criminal liability arises 
for the guilty person and no proof of causing environmental damage is required. It is 
sufficient to establish the fact of pollution of the body of water in violation of the rules 

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contained in other environmental laws, such as the "Law on Water Management 
(WHG)" or "Law on the procedure for obtaining permits for water discharge residuals 
in water bodies (AbwAG) ”. 
The actions in the article described can be committed both intentionally and 
recklessly. Such a conclusion can be made when analyzing this rule subject to the rule 
set out in Article 15 of the Criminal Code of Germany, which states that the act is 
punished only intentionally, if the law does not directly provide punishment for 
reckless actions. 
The great German jurist T. Rotș in his report presented at the conference "Legal 
aid in the Baltic Sea region" specified the problems of applying criminal liability for 
water pollution in accordance with the German Criminal Code. In particular, he said, 
that the chains of development of the causal link, generated by committing the listed 
illegal actions, are often non-transparent and either amplify each other or constrain 
each other [3, p.75]. Thus, for the qualification of the crime of water pollution in 
accordance with art. 324 Criminal Code of Germany, the mere commission of illegal 
actions is considered insufficient, mentions Rots, in practice there are serious 
difficulties, related in particular to the effects of cumulation (risks generated for several 
objects of legal protection). 
The collaborators of the law enforcement bodies from the Republic of Moldova 
also face analogous problems in classifying the crime of water pollution. 
In accordance with the Danish penal code [7] - art. 196, criminal liability applies 
to any person who violates the Law of the Environment: 1) pollutes the air, water, soil 
or subsoil, so that it causes essential damage or a direct danger to the environment;
2) preserves or disposes of waste or analogous substances in such a way as to cause 
essential damage or a direct danger to the environment. 
Art. 196 of the Criminal Code of Denmark is the object of being convicted in the 
commission of the crime of water pollution by the person, both in case of essential 
environmental damage and in case of a direct danger of such damage. That is, this rule 
contains the signs of a material crime component, as well as a danger component. 

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Compared to art. 229 CP RM, where it is indicated as a mandatory sign of the objective 
side the occurrence of damages in considerable proportions to the animal or plant 
kingdom, fishery resources, forestry, agriculture or population health, according to art. 
196 Criminal Code of Denmark criminal liability could arise even when there is a 
danger. 
The rules of water pollution and environmental protection are built on the same 
principle in the penal codes of several EU countries. 
The Spanish Penal Code [9] includes many advanced ideas of criminal law in 
modern Europe. Some provisions of the code contain specific current legal elements 
of the environment, which could be applied to improve criminal law in our country. 
The Spanish legislator criminalizes the deed of water pollution at art. 325 Criminal 
Code of Spain. In this way, in order to incriminate the perpetrator of the deed of art. 
, spillage or discharge into the atmosphere, soil, subsoil or land, groundwater or 
marine waters, including in interboundary spaces, as water collection (capture) 
which may cause serious damage to the balance in natural ecosystems. That is, the 
article is built on the hazard component. If there was a risk of serious harm to the 
health of the population, the term of imprisonment is more severe and is assigned 
closer to the upper limit. 
We consider that art. 325 Criminal Code of Spain has a disadvantage, too 
detailed are described the modalities of criminal actions that influence nature, we 
believe that it is not correct, because new ways of criminal influence may constantly 
appear, not specified by the legislator. The waiver of the extension of the so -called 
list of illegal actions offers the possibility for law enforcement agencies to prevent 
new types of criminal influences on nature more quickly. This fact of enumerating 
the illegal actions also happens in the normative description of art. 229 of the 
Criminal Code of the Republic of Moldova, which we also consider to be incorrect 
and if the Moldovan legislator will also give up the enumeration of illegal actions 
then it will be a step forward for criminal legislation in combating environmental 
crime. 

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As we observe in art. 325 The Criminal Code of Spain is a rule of thumb, as it is 
associated with the occurrence of criminal liability for violations of laws and other 
general provisions for the protection of the environment. The criminal law itself is part 
of the so-called dangerous components. Criminal liability arises if there is a threat (risk) 
of causing serious harm. If the risk of serious injury to public health has existed, the 
penalty under the Spanish Penal Code increases. In our opinion, the lack of clear 
criteria for criminal prosecution is a shortcoming of the provision. 
Another deed of the same kind, which establishes the responsibility for the 
qualification of the types of pollution, for which the punishment increases is sanctioned 
at art. 326 Criminal Code of Spain: a) production or activities, carried out without the 
appropriate authorization or administrative approval, b) explicit non-compliance with 
the orders expressed by the administrative authorities regarding the right of retention 
and temporary suspension of activities, c) information on adverse effects on the 
environment will be concealed or falsified, d) creating obstacles for control bodies, e) 
the occurrence of the risk of irreversible damage or catastrophes, f) illegal water 
leakage during the restriction. 
Unlike the Criminal Code of the Republic of Moldova, where all ecological 
crimes are in Chapter IX "Ecological Crimes", the Criminal Code of Spain contains 
two separate chapters placed in Section XVI "Crimes related to land use planning and 
protection of historical property and the environment", Chapter III "Crimes against 
natural resources and the environment", Chapter IV "Crimes related to the protection 
of flora and fauna". 
The principle of presenting ecological crimes in the Criminal Code of Spain is 
fundamentally differentiated from the construction and location of related crime 
components in the Criminal Code of the Republic of Moldova. Ecological crimes in the 
Republic of Moldova should be built on the principle: each natural object is dedicated to 
a separate rule of criminal law. Criminal Code of Spain highlighted two common objects, 
which were subject to legal and criminal protection: natural resources (water, 
groundwater and sea, atmosphere, soil, subsoil), and the second object - flora and fauna. 

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As a "danger component" is also built art. 182 provided for in Chapter XXII 
“Crimes against the environment” Criminal Code of Poland, establishing the criminal 
liability for pollution of water, air and soil the person: ,, who pollutes water, air or soil 
with substances or substances with ionizing radiation in such quantities or in in such a 
way that it can endanger the life or health of the population or can cause the destruction 
of flora and fauna in considerable proportions, it is punishable by imprisonment for a 
period of 3 months to 5 years ”. Art. 182 para. (2) C. Criminal Code of Poland, the 
legislator shall reduce the sentence if the perpetrator acts recklessly, in which case a 
fine, a penalty of restriction of liberty or imprisonment for a term of up to 2 years shall 
be imposed on him. If as a result of these illegal actions there have been negative 
consequences in the form of destruction of flora or fauna in considerable proportions, 
either in the form of death or causing serious damage to the health of several persons, 
the guilty person will be punished with a more severe punishment. years of 
imprisonment) in accordance with art. 185 Criminal Code of Poland [5]. 
Criminal Code of Poland also contains provisions, according to which, if the deed 
provided in art. 185 was committed recklessly, a lesser punishment will be applied to 
the guilty person. In this way, the importance of the juridical-criminal evaluation of the 
person's intention is revealed, manifested in relation to the committed deed, and not 
only in relation to the consequences of the pollution deed, as provided in the CP of the 
Republic of Moldova. 
In addition, in art. 186 Criminal Code of Poland, establishes the criminal liability 
for the person who contrary to the obligations does not maintain good condition or does 
not use the device, the machine to protect from water, air or soil pollution, or the 
machine that protects against radioactive radiation or ionizing radiation. The 
composition of the article is a formal one. This rule, in our opinion, emphasizes the 
awareness of the danger of the activities of industrial enterprises, which try to save on 
the installation or use of treatment plants. In accordance with the legislation of the 
Republic of Moldova, if there is no evidence of substantial damage (art. 229 CP of the 
Republic of Moldova) or violation of environmental safety requirements (223 of the 

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Criminal Code of the Republic of Moldova), only some minor fines are imposed on 
these companies society and the environment. 
With great regret we specify that in the criminal code of Romania the crimes 
against the environment do not find their place, the Romanian legislator considered it 
appropriate that the criminal liability for the elements of nature (water, soil, subsoil, 
air, etc.) be found in special laws. In this context, it would be incorrect not to mention 
that the Romanian legislator, however, in Chapter V of the Criminal Code, Crimes 
against public health ”, namely in art. 356 “Water infection” incriminates illegal actions 
that threaten water resources, but as the name of the chapter shows, it is part of crimes 
against public health and not crimes against the environment.