The European Commission on Wednesday proposed a new raft of “simplifications” of environmental legislation that will lower standards and monitoring of industrial emissions and water protection – a move that reflects the sheer pressure the Commission has come under on many fronts.
The EU’s executive claims that the measures are a response to the concerns of businesses and public administrators, who have complained that excessive red tape is hampering their ability to compete.
The upshot is that at least 25% of environmental administrative requirements for private sector companies are expected to be axed by 2029.
Under the EU’s so-called “environmental omnibus”, a legislative package tabled by the Commission to revise existing legislation, livestock and aquaculture operators will no longer need to report on water and energy use as currently required by the bloc’s law on industrial emissions.
This will offer a regulatory reprieve to around 38,500 intensive pig and poultry farms, according to EU data.
The Commission is also proposing to speed up permits by scrapping environmental assessments for industrial emissions, water discharges, and chemical waste residues.
The proposal comes a few days after the Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall said Europe’s waters are “neglected, overexploited, and polluted” at an event promoting water resilience.
Greg Van Elsen, senior industrial policy coordinator at the green NGO Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe, regretted the Commission’s intention to reopen the industrial emissions law adopted last year, noting that it had already offered significant flexibility in reporting and transparency.
“Now the omnibus offers to take it a step further, bringing regulatory uncertainty for companies and putting local communities at risk,” said Van Elsen.
More e-waste and bottles
Electronic, packaging and textile waste will also be affected by the Commission’s omnibus, with companies manufacturing products such as disposable bottles and electronics no longer to be held responsible for what happens to them after consumers finish using them.
This will particularly affect battery producers and the beverage and textile sectors. EU data shows that the latter is responsible for around 12.6 million tonnes of waste annually.
Environmental groups have accused the Commission of siding with industry heavyweights to the detriment of nature and people’s health.
Chiara Martinelli, director at CAN Europe, lamented the decision to roll back “democratically agreed rules” to protect nature and people’s health.
“Nature cannot buy political influence, as the polluting industries do,” Martinelli told Euronews. “These vital safeguards are what stand between us and escalating climate impacts in Europe and all around the world. Weakening them now is reckless.”
In total, the Commission will revisit five pieces of legislation: on waste, on industrial and livestock emissions, on batteries and waste batteries, on environmental reporting from industrial installations and on spatial information.
These laws will now be scrutinised once again by the European Parliament and the European Council under the incoming EU Cypriot Presidency.
Undermining climate goals
While the Commission’s proposal may save companies millions of euros per year, its impact will inevitably lead to vaguer reporting of carbon dioxide emissions and remove incentives for sustainable practices.
The so-called simplification of green laws comes despite warnings from climate scientists, including the EU’s independent scientific advisory body, the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change, which has recommended that the EU set a 90% emissions reduction target by 2040.
The EU Ombudsman recently warned the Commission about its misconduct in proposing to simplify the bloc’s corporate due diligence law without conducting environmental impact assessments.
Meanwhile, experts say the impact of global warming is almost becoming irreversible and focusing on mitigation and adaptation now is paramount.
Scientists report that over half of Europe will face annual heatwaves above 37°C by 2100. Wildfires are already consuming vast areas of land and destroying forests, which are essential for capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
According to the environmental NGO Fern, this year’s blaze in Spain consumed 400,000 hectares of vegetation, about the size of 560 football fields, destruction on a scale not seen in Europe since the 1990s.
Portugal, Greece, and France also battled wildfires, bringing the EU27’s total of charred forests and landscapes to almost a million hectares.