Latest news with #GreenClaims
Straits Times
9 hours ago
- Business
- Straits Times
EU plans to scrap anti-greenwashing rules after pushback
Conservative lawmakers said the new rules would not be good for businesses. PHOTO: REUTERS BRUSSELS - The European Commission said on June 20 it intends to scrap new rules against greenwashing after they hit a roadblock in the final stretch from conservative lawmakers calling them too onerous for businesses. The 'Green Claims Directive' would require companies to provide hard facts to back up claims that their products are carbon-neutral, biodegradable or 'less polluting'. Businesses would need to submit evidence for environmental claims for approval by independent verifiers – with fines and other penalties for failure to comply. 'In the current context, the commission intends to withdraw the Green Claims proposal,' the European Union (EU) executive's spokesperson on environmental matters, Maciej Berestecki, told reporters. European lawmakers and the bloc's 27 member states agreed last year to move ahead with the directive, which was being finalised in three-way negotiations with the commission with a final meeting set for June 23. But the centre-right European People's Party (EPP) – Parliament's biggest force, which is now pushing to roll back parts of the EU's green agenda – was not satisfied with the text, and asked this week for the commission to withdraw it. Mr Berestecki said the EU's executive arm decided to do just that, because the 'current discussions around the proposal' went against its 'simplification agenda'. Currently 30 million micro-enterprises – or 96 per cent of all firms – would be covered by the text, something the commission did not like, Mr Berestecki explained. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, who hails from the EPP, has pledged to make life easier for businesses in a bid to re-launch the European economy. Ms Danuse Nerudova, the EPP's negotiator on the file, welcomed the commission's move, describing the proposal as 'overly complex' and lacking an impact assessment to show its benefits would outweigh the burdens on businesses. 'We need regulation that is clear, proportionate, and grounded in evidence,' she said in a statement to AFP. 'Less bureaucracy and more competitiveness – that's what we promised to citizens.' But fellow lawmaker Sandro Gozi, of the centrist Renew group, called the decision 'shameful'. 'It is unacceptable that the EPP, in tandem with the far-right, is trying to undermine a fundamental piece of legislation to protect European citizens from corporate environmental fraud,' he said. Since last year's elections saw the EU parliament shift right, the bloc has embarked on a drive to cut red tape seen as hindering economic growth – including key parts of the environmental 'Green Deal' of Ms von der Leyen's first term. Most strikingly, a hard-fought law requiring companies to ensure their global supply chains are free of ethical and environmental abuses has had its rollout pushed back to 2028 – and its future is in doubt. The green claims bill was one of several EU initiatives clamping down on greenwashing, with a separate law adopted last year that banned broad, generic claims such as labelling products 'eco-friendly' or 'natural'. AFP Find out more about climate change and how it could affect you on the ST microsite here.
France 24
9 hours ago
- Business
- France 24
EU plans to scrap anti-greenwashing rules after pushback
The "Green Claims Directive" would require companies to provide hard facts to back up claims that their products are carbon-neutral, biodegradable or "less polluting". Businesses would need to submit evidence for environmental claims for approval by independent verifiers -- with fines and other penalties for failure to comply. "In the current context, the commission intends to withdraw the Green Claims proposal," the EU executive's spokesperson on environmental matters, Maciej Berestecki, told reporters. European lawmakers and the bloc's 27 member states agreed last year to move ahead with the directive, which was being finalised in three-way negotiations with the commission with a final meeting set for Monday. But the centre-right European People's Party -- parliament's biggest force, which is now pushing to roll back parts of the EU's green agenda -- was not satisfied with the text, and asked this week for the commission to withdraw it. Berestecki said the EU's executive arm decided to do just that, because the "current discussions around the proposal" went against its "simplification agenda". Currently 30 million micro-enterprises -- or 96 percent of all firms -- would be covered by the text, something the commission did not like, Berestecki explained. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, who hails from the EPP, has pledged to make life easier for businesses in a bid to re-launch the European economy. Danuse Nerudova, the EPP's negotiator on the file, welcomed the commission's move, describing the proposal as "overly complex" and lacking an impact assessment to show its benefits would outweigh the burdens on businesses. "We need regulation that is clear, proportionate, and grounded in evidence," she said in a statement to AFP. "Less bureaucracy and more competitiveness -- that's what we promised to citizens." But fellow lawmaker Sandro Gozi, of the centrist Renew group, called the decision "shameful". "It is unacceptable that the EPP, in tandem with the far-right, is trying to undermine a fundamental piece of legislation to protect European citizens from corporate environmental fraud," he said. Since last year's elections saw the EU parliament shift right, the bloc has embarked on a drive to cut red tape seen as hindering economic growth -- including key parts of the environmental "Green Deal" of von der Leyen's first term. Most strikingly, a hard-fought law requiring companies to ensure their global supply chains are free of ethical and environmental abuses has had its rollout pushed back to 2028 -- and its future is in doubt. The green claims bill was one of several EU initiatives clamping down on greenwashing, with a separate law adopted last year that banned broad, generic claims such as labelling products "eco-friendly" or "natural".
Euronews
10 hours ago
- Business
- Euronews
Commission to withdraw greenwashing proposal in new blow to Green Deal
The European Commission intends to withdraw a proposal aimed at combating so-called "greenwashing" by ensuring companies' environmental claims are accurate, substantiated and independently verified, an EU executive spokesperson told reporters today. The proposal on Green Claims was initially presented in March 2023 as part of the broader European Green Deal legislative framework. This move marks the latest in a series of rollbacks of major Green Deal initiatives, after so-called "Omnibus" papers intended to simplify EU legislation effectively narrowed the scope of measures such as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. The announcement on the Green Claims Directive came ahead of a final meeting between the Polish EU Council presidency and MEPs scheduled next Monday, which was expected to give the proposal the green light ahead of formal adoption. Its withdrawal at this late stage has taken many by surprise, including the negotiators. When questioned by reporters, Commission officials declined to provide detailed reasons for the decision, saying only that more information would follow. According to parliamentary sources close to the file, chief negotiators socialist MEP Delara Burkhardt and liberal MEP Sandro Gozi still intended to proceed with the trilogue negotiations on Monday, noting that the talks were nearing a successful conclusion. 'It is unacceptable that the Commission blatantly interferes with the progress made by co-legislators on this file,' a member of the Parliament's negotiating team told Euronews, expressing frustration at what they see as a unilateral and premature move. Likewise, Poland's presidency of the EU Council 'is ready to enter constructively into the trilogue and go ahead as planned until there is a clear decision from the Commission [on the withdrawal],' a Polish spokesperson tol Euronews. It remains unclear whether the decision to withdraw the proposal has been formally adopted by the Commission's College, the weekly meeting of the 26 Commissioners and EU President Ursula von der Leyen. Beyond the immediate legislative impact, the move raises broader questions about the Commission's authority to retract its own proposals. While EU treaties do not explicitly grant this power, a 2015 ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union affirmed that the Commission may withdraw proposals as part of its right of initiative. However, the Court also made clear that this power is limited and subject to both substantive and procedural constraints. The ruling emphasised that withdrawal should only occur in justified cases, such as institutional deadlock or the proposal becoming obsolete. Neither condition appears to apply in the case of the Green Claims Directive, prompting concerns that the Commission could be overstepping its role and upsetting the institutional balance by exercising a de facto veto over the legislative process.
