按日连续处罚中“继续实施违法行为”的解释论展开

Based on the Interpretation Theory of “Continuing to Commit the Illegal Act” in the Daily Continuous Penalty

摘要: 按日连续处罚制度是破解持续性违法行为的重要举措。《生态环境法典》对按日连续处罚条款进行修改，将“继续实施违法行为”从“拒不改正”的表现形式中剥离出来，将两者并列作为该制度的适用条件，这一修改旨在回应实践长期以来存在的问题，然而，《生态环境法典》虽在规范层面将二者并列，却未对“继续实施该违法行为”的判断标准作出明确界定。在新法实施后，行政执法与司法机关极有可能延续旧法时期形成的“复查时超标即成立”这一惯性操作，在解释论上带来了新的难题。过往实践中将“复查时超标”作为构成“继续实施”的标准，而这一标准面临着架空“拒不改正”，过罚不当的风险。“继续”是持续性概念，“继续实施”应是违法排放状态的持续，而非仅对单个时间点的判断。基于对以上内容的反思，从社会公益、显著整改效果、违法程度极其轻微三个角度对“继续实施”的适用进行豁免与限制，以回应按日连续处罚制度的法规变迁，提升其实施效能。

Abstract: The system of daily continuous penalties is a crucial measure for addressing ongoing illegal acts. The revised Environmental Protection Code has separated “continuing to commit illegal acts” from the expression of “refusing to rectify,” placing them as parallel conditions for applying this penalty regime. This amendment aims to address long-standing practical issues but simultaneously introduces new interpretive challenges. In past practice, exceeding emission standards at the time of re-inspection was often taken as the criterion for determining “continuation,” which risks undermining the meaning of “refusing to rectify” and creating an imbalance between offense and penalty. “Continuation” is a concept of ongoing duration; thus, “continuing to commit illegal acts” should refer to the persistence of unlawful discharge conditions, rather than merely judging a single point in time. Reflecting on these issues, this article proposes exemptions and limitations on the application of “continuing to commit illegal acts” based on three considerations: public interest, significant remediation effects, and extremely minor violations, thereby responding to legal changes in the daily continuous penalty system and enhancing its implementation effectiveness.