Environmental Omnibus: Commission slashing environmental legislation to please polluters

“The proposals presented today represent an absolute step backwards. On the very day the European Environment Agency confirms that the EU will miss its biodiversity, environmental and climate targets for 2030, the Commission is weakening important environmental protection standards. The Commission is effectively slamming into reverse. This is deregulation under the guise of cutting red tape — utterly irresponsible and in clear disregard of scientific recommendations. These proposals are not efficient; they are short-sighted. Europe needs stable, reliable rules so that companies can invest, citizens are protected, and we finally make progress in safeguarding our livelihoods.

It is also absurd that the European Commission has not carried out an impact assessment. The European Ombudswoman recently issued a sharp critique of this approach. At its core, it means that the supposed billions in savings are completely unfounded. The Commission is entirely ignoring the follow-on costs for our environment and for us as citizens.

Transparency on hazardous substances is also being curtailed: the SCIP database — which records all particularly harmful chemicals in products so they can be handled safely during recycling — is set to be abolished. For citizens, this concretely means they will no longer be able to know whether electronic devices or furniture contain harmful substances, and that more pollutants will be released into the environment during recycling.”