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Our News
Business and civil society urge European Commission to implement smarter, not less
Together with over 180 other civil society organisations, WWF is calling on the incoming European Commission to focus on smart implementation of climate and environmental laws, warning that the current push for "simplification" risks weakening Europe’s ability to tackle the climate and nature crises. This call comes as businesses across Europe also express concerns over the potential consequences of delaying or rolling back on Green Deal initiatives.
“Simplification” of EU legislation is crystallising as a key objective of the new Commission [1], and all Commissioners have been assigned arbitrary targets of reducing burdens on businesses in their mission letters, in order to boost competitiveness. However, in practice, if done unchecked or arbitrarily, this risks unfairly penalising those businesses that have already invested to meet environmental standards, while creating uncertainty for companies trying to plan for the future. It also undermines the climate and nature objectives of the European Green Deal.
These concerns were raised today by more than 60 companies and 180 civil society organisations. In their public statements, they urge the European Commission to avoid backtracking on any of the EU's environmental and climate laws to protect both Europe’s economy and the planet.
The potential price of failing on the EU environmental targets is high. Climate impacts have already set Europe back by €260 billion over the past decade. Weakening environmental laws now will only increase those costs, leading to more floods, droughts, pollution, and health crises. In contrast, effective implementation of existing laws could save Europe at least €60 billion annually in health and environmental costs.
“The Commission's recent proposal to delay the application of the EU Deforestation Regulation is a clear sign of this new narrative taking hold in European politics. But it’s a mirage: we can’t have a strong economy without a strong Green Deal,” says Tycho Vandermaesen, Policy & Strategy Director at WWF European Policy Office. “The EU needs a dedicated implementation programme for the Green Deal to give the necessary support to businesses and stakeholders to comply, without compromising environmental standards.”
A dedicated implementation programme would involve a more systematic and better use of digital tools to reduce paperwork and enhance accountability, clear guidance to help businesses and regulators understand their responsibilities, and the improvement of EU and national public administration efficiency. [2]
Both CSO and business statements demand a clear response from President von der Leyen as the Commissioners’ confirmation hearings begin. Commissioners must resist the allure of “simplification” in their commitments, while the President must unequivocally pledge against any further rollback of environmental standards and clarify her commitment to fully implementing the Green Deal.
Notes to the editor
[1] Recent signs of EU leaders backtracking on their commitment to the European Green Deal—often framed as moves toward simplification and boosting competitiveness—include:
- The April 2024 ‘emergency’ reform of the EU’s agricultural policy, following farmers protests, which led to the removal of standards on good agricultural and environmental conditions (source).
- The proposal by the European Commission of October 2024 to delay by twelve months the application of the EU deforestation-free products regulation (source).
- The announcement by the incoming Agriculture Commissioner, Christophe Hansen, in his prepared remarks for his upcoming confirmation hearing on November 4, that the European Commission is dropping the upcoming legislative proposal for sustainable food systems (source).
- The independent report by Mario Draghi on the ‘Europe’s competitiveness’ from September 2024, which contains worrying deregulation elements that are pitting climate and environmental goals against one another, for example granting temporary exemptions to environmental legislation until climate neutrality is reached (source).
- Ongoing calls to postpone the EU’s commitment to push back the EU’s zero-emission target for cars and vans by 2035 (source), despite widespread support from companies not to re-open the 2035 car CO2 law (source).
[2] WWF’s Briefing: Smart Implementation of the European Green Deal proposes to focus on six areas:
1. Digital innovation, for example to improve data management for monitoring, decision-making and enforcing biodiversity-related laws.
2. Guidance and engagement with stakeholders, including through a dedicated service solely focused on implementing laws related to the Green Deal.
3. Improvement of public administration efficiency at national, regional and local levels.
4. Reduction of administrative burdens for beneficiaries of EU funds without weakening control, oversight and targets.
5. Staffing and capacity building of competent authorities to strengthen the operational and technical capacities of the relevant national authorities.
6. Stepping up inspections and enforcement as inspections are crucial for identifying poor implementation and enabling environmental protection.
© WWF
Together with over 180 other civil society organisations, WWF is calling on the incoming European Commission to focus on smart implementation of climate and environmental laws.