Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – On Monday, the European Union put negotiations on hold for a proposed law that would require companies to provide proof for their climate-friendly claims. The European Commission had raised concerns that the policy would be too burdensome for small businesses and threatened to drop it.
The dispute marks the latest EU effort to water down or simplify its green agenda. The goal is to ease a growing political backlash against ambitious environmental policies and to cut regulations for industries that are struggling.
Why did the EU pause green claims negotiations now?
Poland, which currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency, has decided to cancel a round of negotiations scheduled for Monday between EU countries and lawmakers, according to a spokesperson. The two groups are trying to finalize the EU’s green claims law.
“We are hitting the pause button,”
The spokesperson said.
“There are too many doubts, and we need clarity from the European Commission on its intentions – based on that, we can decide on the next steps.”
It wasn’t clear if talks would resume, according to them.
What concerns did the European Commission raise recently?
On Friday, the European Commission announced it plans to pull back the proposed green claims law. The Commission cited concerns that EU countries are looking to expand the law to include 30 million small companies, which would put an undue burden on these businesses.
“The current discussions around the proposal go against the Commission’s simplification agenda,”
A Commission spokesperson stated on Friday, referring to its endeavors to streamline EU regulation for European businesses.
How would the proposed law regulate climate claims?
The Commission had also faced pressure from center-right EU lawmakers, who last week called for the policy to be scrapped. EU law sought to eliminate misleading green labels on products, including clothing, cosmetics, and electronics. The law would regulate labels like “natural,” “climate neutral,” or those claiming “recycled content.”
Back in 2023, the European Commission put forward the rules following its own review of 150 claims about products’ environmental characteristics. The review found that roughly half of these claims contained vague, misleading, or unfounded information.
