Latest news with #MaciejBerestecki
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".
Int'l Business Times
02-05-2025
- Business
- Int'l Business Times
EU Wins Post-Brexit Fishing Row With Britain
The European Union on Friday won a landmark case against Britain at the world's oldest arbitration body over post-Brexit rights to fish sandeels, a tiny North Sea species. The case at the Permanent Court for Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague was seen as a bellwether for other potential litigation between London and Brussels in a hot-bed industry. It also marked the first courtroom trade battle between the 27-member bloc and Britain since it left the EU in 2020. In a 298-page ruling, the PCA took the EU's argument that Britain was not living up to its post-Brexit trade deal pledges. "The United Kingdom is in breach of its obligation to grant full access to its waters to fish sandeel in accordance with... the Trade and Cooperation Agreement," said the court. It ordered London to "take the necessary measures to comply" with the agreement, which gave the EU access to British waters for several years during a post-Brexit transition period. In March, Britain ordered all fishing to stop, arguing that sandeels were integral to the marine ecosystem of the North Sea. Britain's lawyers at the PCA argued that a decline in sandeel stocks would have a knock-on effect on vulnerable species like the Atlantic puffin, seals, porpoises and other fish like cod and haddock. But Brussels called foul, saying Britain had failed to apply "evidence-based, proportionate and non-discriminatory measures" when it ordered a halt to the fishing. Brussels is backing Denmark in the dispute. Danish vessels take some 96 percent of the EU's quota for the species, with sandeel catches averaging some GBP41.2 million (49 million euros) annually. The case could provide significant jurisprudence for other clashes over fishing resulting from the post-Brexit trade deal. Under the accord, the EU's fishing fleet retained access to British waters for a five-and-half-year transition period, ending mid-2026. After that, access to respective waters will be decided in annual negotiations. The EU welcomed the ruling and said it wanted a "mutually beneficial fisheries relationship" with Britain. Nevertheless, Maciej Berestecki, European Commission spokesperson for fisheries, said London must now inform Brussels of the steps it would take to comply with the ruling. Set up in 1899, the PCA resolves disputes between countries and private parties by referring to contracts, special agreements and various treaties, such as the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
