🔥Simplification Crisis Boiling Over

Summer is here, but if you were hoping for a political siesta, brace yourself. Brussels is boiling over, and that sound you hear is a pressure cooker about to blow. 

The “simplification” saga rolls on. You know, another day, another win for corporate lobbies. But the latest blow from the EU Commission, a move to kill the directive preventing companies from greenwashing, has left a deep crater in the Brussels bubble. The political parties that secured Ursula von der Leyen’s second term are fuming at the move, accusing the Commission of pandering to the far-right (who didn’t vote for her), while sidelining the more centrist parties, socialists, liberals, and greens (who did). “We are on the brink of an institutional crisis,” warned Renew Europe’s chair, Valérie Hayer. The EU’s political thermostat just shot up. 

Meanwhile, NATO, acting as Donald Trump’s mouthpiece, is demanding that EU countries boost military spending to 5% of GDP. That’s not a typo. Five. Percent. With national governments in austerity mode, trying to fund action on the climate emergency, industrial transformation and digitalisation, this is not an acceptable demand – not without public debate, evidence-based analysis, or fiscal reality checks. Our Katy Wiese dives deeper in a dedicated META piece. 

Against this scorching backdrop, EU leaders are meeting in Brussels for yet another summit. Outside, angry citizens, scientists, and campaigners are marching to defend the Green Deal and resist austerity and deregulation. 

So, is this really all the EU has to offer at this critical moment in history? The stakes couldn’t be higher. Europe needs bold direction and a political class brave enough to champion a project once built on plural democracy, the welfare state, solid environmental protections, and soft power. Is anyone left to wave that flag? 

Yes, this newsletter is coming in hot. Grab a cold drink. Let’s make sense of the madness. 

💣 A CHRONICLE OF A CRISIS 

THE BOMB – What started as a routine press briefing last Friday turned into a political bombshell. The EU Commission casually announced it would withdraw the Green Claims Directive, a relatively modest but crucial law designed to crack down on corporate greenwashing. Final negotiations (the trilogue) were scheduled for the following Monday. 

THE SHOCKWAVES – The timing and manner of the announcement caused immediate outrage. Just two days earlier, the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) had sent a letter calling for the directive to be scrapped. The Commission seemed to comply, with no formal explanation, no prior warning to the Parliament or Council. On Monday, the trilogue was abruptly cancelled after Italy pulled out. 

THE FIREBUG – Killing a trilogue where institutional positions were already agreed is unprecedented, at least in recent EEB memory. Even more striking is that the political party that derailed the process (EPP) had previously supported the directive in earlier negotiations. In just a few months, it reversed course and abandoned the centrist coalition, siding with the far-right to kill the law. 

THE VICTIM – According to the Commission’s own data, half of all green labels on products and consumer goods offer weak or non-existent verification, and 40% of claims have no supporting evidence. The directive aimed to fix that by protecting consumers and creating a level playing field for companies genuinely investing in a greener future. Who could be against this, other than those profiting from lies and fraud? 

THE CASUALTIES – The damage is broad. MEPs who worked on the law are furious. So are consumers like you and me, honest green businesses, environmental NGOs, and scientific and legal experts who helped design the directive’s methodology. Years of expertise and work risk being thrown away. We wonder: all this to simplify and reduce a “burden” for large companies? Or is this to win a political chess match within the conservatives? 

WE WILL NOT GIVE UP – We reached out to President von der Leyen, calling on her to defend citizens, science, and the democratic processes behind EU policymaking. The damage goes well beyond this law; it’s eroding the credibility and trust in EU policymaking itself. 

🖐 ENOUGH IS ENOUGH 

BACK TO THE STREETS – From corporate responsibility to agriculture policies, we are watching a bonfire of green laws and protections. Austerity and deregulation threaten years of hard-fought progress. But we are not just pissed off, we are mobilising. In a new march, citizens, scientists and organisations called on the EU Commissioners and leaders to stand firm and defend the EU’s Green Deal. 

NO MANDATE TO DEREGULATE – There is no political mandate for this turn. The far-right and corporate lobbyists may be steering the agenda, but they do not represent a social majority. An overwhelming majority of people worldwide (up to 89%) want their government to take stronger climate action. Yet, when EU leaders met for the European Council summit in Brussels this week, climate breakdown, pollution, and biodiversity loss didn’t even make it onto the agenda. As if this triple crisis could be postponed.  

A PROMISE IS A COMMITMENT – “We were promised a Europe that is carbon neutral, pollution-free, and committed to restoring nature. This is enshrined in the EU climate law. What we see instead is short-termism, deregulation and deference to corporate interests. We must resist; there is no political mandate to undo hard-won laws negotiated through a democratic process,” said our Deputy Sec-Gen Patrizia Heidegger at the march. 

🌊 DRIP DRIP DRIP: SOME GOOD NEWS FOR WATER 

FREE BRITTANY (FROM POLLUTION) – A landmark court ruling has found the French state liable for deaths caused by toxic algae along Brittany’s coast. This honours the memory of Green Tide jogger Jean-René Auffray (see our screening from last month) and sets a strong precedent for Europe. The culprit? Pollution from industrial agriculture. Our food system must change to support farmers, protect water, and feed us all. Here is our full take on how we ensure a brighter future for food and farming – and importantly, how we spend public money to get there. 

LET EUROPE’S RIVERS RUN – Europe’s rivers are choking under 1.2 million dams and barriers. But there’s hope: tearing down obsolete river barriers is a low-cost, high-impact way to restore water quality, restore biodiversity and boost water resilience against droughts and floods. The Nature Restoration Law now requires countries to act. Learn more in our latest joint publication with Living Rivers Europe and ClientEarth! 

📰 IN OTHER NEWS 

💸 SUBSIDIES FOR ‘CLEAN’ INDUSTRIES – The Commission’s new Clean Industrial Deal State Aid Framework (CISAF) sets the tone for Europe’s green industrial push. While there are bright spots (like stricter rules on green hydrogen and material efficiency), the framework still leaves the door open to fossil gas, unproven tech like CCS, and subsidies without enforceable environmental or social safeguards. “Subsidies shouldn’t be a patch for weak regulation,” said our Riccardo Nigro in EEB’s reaction. 

🔥 WOOD STOVES NEED FILTERS – Sales of wood burners are booming but at a toxic cost. A new EEB-commissioned study shows that adding particle filters to wood stoves could slash toxic emissions by 70%, all for less than 0.5% of household income. “As EU policymakers revise ecodesign rules for wood-burning heating, this should be a no-brainer,” said the EEB’s Davide Sabbadin.  

🚨 NOISE ALERT: OVER 110 MILLION EUROPEANS EXPOSED – More than 1 in 5 people in Europe are exposed to harmful levels of transport noise, exceeding EU limits and putting our health, environment, and economy at risk, says a new report from the European Environment Agency. The EEA is calling for urgent, stronger action at both national and EU levels to dial down the volume. 

👋 EUROPEAN NGOS SLAPP BACK! One year after the EU adopted a law to stop SLAPPs, abusive lawsuits used to silence activists and journalists, most countries still haven’t implemented it. With powerful polluters like Energy Transfer using billion-dollar lawsuits to intimidate climate defenders, groups like Greenpeace are fighting back. On 2 July, we join the European Day of Action Against SLAPPs to demand real protection. #HandsOffOurSpeech 

🧠 DOPAMINE HIT  

Your weekly dose of hope: 

– Vulture populations grow in Europe. Read more here 

– French Senate backs law to regulate ultra-fast fashion giants. Read more here 

– Ecofeminism is on the rise, with women leading the fight for climate justice. Read more here 

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By: Alberto Vela. Special thanks to the EEB’s editorial team: Ben Snelson, Ruby Silk and Roi Gomez. Editor: Christian Skrivervik