Welcome back!
We hope you had a chance to rest this summer – unplug, touch grass, and reconnect with the little things. In case you’re back and wondering what year it is, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. We’re here to bring you up to speed on the dawn of a new “rentrée”, including how the Commission’s deregulation wave became a tsunami. This week we’ll cover:
- An appalling EU-US trade deal
- The Commission’s Environmental Omnibus proposal
- The Civil Society Strategy
- Plus, three new EEB articles, including an insightful guest piece on Europe’s e-waste exports to Africa, how Leuven is going climate neutral by 2030, and another outlining five ways renewables can keep villages alive
But first, a few words about this very newsletter…
NEW SEASON, NEW LOOK
GLOW UP – As you may have noticed, our much-loved ‘META’ newsletter got a new name and makeover since the last edition in July. But our rebrand is more than just a wardrobe change. We believe that an entertaining, informative, and digestible weekly newsletter can help strengthen our movement, keeping us on top of all the latest developments – together.
IT’S THANKS TO YOU – In the last couple of years, we have really rolled up our sleeves to deliver a weekly European environmental policy news digest that you can rely on. Turns out… it’s paying off! In response to our readers’ survey published at the beginning of summer, almost 50% of you told us you read us every week. And on top of that, almost 40% most weeks! That’s 90% of you tuning in regularly <3 Merci mille fois to all those who responded – your thoughts and comments are precious and will shape many future editions.
With change in its very name, it was only a matter of time before ‘META’ (from ‘Metamorphosis’) evolved into something new. Over the years, our newsletter has been through many changes under the name of ‘Meta’, going from a print publication to an online news channel and other such glow ups – but with the word now dominated by connotations to a tech-billionaire’s social media empire, we decided the time was ripe for something new. Despite us having the name first. And here it is.
TURNING A NEW LEAF – No, but really… That’s the new name. From now on, the New Leaf will be the name of your one-stop-shop for European environment and climate news. We thank everyone who helped us get here. Counting votes and debating your fabulous proposals to land on a favourite was not for the faint-hearted.
🎉 Special shoutout to Bethany Meban, Head of Comms at SolarPower Europe for the original suggestion all those weeks ago. You truly are a communications queen with a vision!
🚒 WILDFIRES WORSEN
This summer’s wildfires in Spain and Portugal have incinerated records. Europe has seen over a million hectares burned (that’s two million professional football fields), with the Iberian Peninsula accounting for roughly two-thirds of that total.
Our thoughts are first and foremost with all those affected – lives lost, communities displaced, livelihoods destroyed.
In moments like these, it is easy to fall into the trap of false binaries – “so is this climate change or not?”, often followed by lines like “forest fires have always existed.” While wildfires are indeed a natural phenomenon, the unprecedented intensity and scale of this season are amplified by climate change, especially brutal heatwaves and prolonged droughts. That said, it’s not the sole factor: a lack of biodiversity (not helped by the EU’s unprecedented attacks on nature), mismanagement of water, the substitution of native species by a monoculture of non-native trees, the lack of sufficient funds and personnel allocated to prevention and response as well as an increased rate of land abandonment all play a major role. The real conversation should be holistic: how can we address climate impacts and simultaneously make adaptation plans that increase resilience?
💰 THE EU SELLS OUT
SUMMER NIGHTMARE – The von der Leyen-Trump handshake may have been the photo of the summer, but the more we learn, the worse it looks. What we first knew as a €700 billion pledge to lock Europe into US fossil fuels and nuclear imports for the next three years – physically implausible and fundamentally incompatible with the EU’s 2030 climate targets – has now been revealed to go much further.
SERIOUSLY? The text commits the EU and US to “reduce or eliminate non-tariff barriers.” Translated: strip away environmental, safety, public health, food and human rights protections so US goods can compete more easily in Europe. Washington has set its sights on flagship Green Deal laws like the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM for short) – crucial to prevent EU climate efforts from being undermined by imports from less ambitious countries – and corporate sustainability rules – designed to hold polluters accountable.
UNACCEPTABLE TRADE-OFFS – The deal would open the door to US-style vehicle standards, flooding EU roads with oversized SUVs and monster pick-up trucks that pollute more and are less safe. It also weakens food and farming protections, paving the way for agribusiness imports produced to lower US standards.
Who thinks this is a good deal for Europeans? No one wants a trade war, but neither can we trade away our climate ambitions, food safety and citizens’ rights for lower tariffs and corporate profits. Moreover, this is not a special EU-US deal but part of Trump’s broader plan to “Kill clean energy abroad” (as the New York Times reports).
WHAT NEXT? Now the EU Commission must present the proposal to the EU Parliament, whose support is far from guaranteed. Our obvious take: MEPs must stand firm and reject this transatlantic race to the bottom.
🐝 ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS ON THE LINE
MORE LIKE A TSUNAMI – The EU Commission’s current deregulation wave is reshaping the policy landscape, with its new “environmental omnibus” package proposing major rollbacks to sustainability reporting, due diligence, and climate safeguards. Framed as cutting red tape, these moves risk weakening core elements of the Green Deal while bypassing proper consultation or proper assessments of the likely damage… which will hit regular people and nature hardest.
RULES THAT PROTECT – The European laws that safeguard our forests, rivers, wildlife, and clean air and water are at risk of being dismantled under the false (and still undefined) promise of “simplification.” In reality, this makes it easier for those who profit from nature to do so, at the expense of everyone else.
TELL THEM HOW YOU REALLY FEEL – The EU Commission quietly opened a Call for Evidence – a feedback exercise gathering personal stories, opinions, or technical evidence – right in the middle of the summer holidays (cheeky!). It closes on 10 September, so don’t miss your chance to submit and tell the Commission: #HandsOffNature!
YOUR RIGHTS AT STAKE – The omnibus would also weaken hard-won laws on human rights and corporate accountability, like the new Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, shielding polluters instead of holding them responsible.
JOIN THE MOVEMENT – Civil society groups are organising a three-day March from Maastricht to Brussels (21–23 September) to resist this bulldozing of our protections. Not up for three days on the road? No problem – there are plenty of other ways to take part. Join the WhatsApp group to see how you can help.
🔔 If you’re a journalist, register for our media briefing on the Commission’s deregulation drive and what’s at stake for environmental laws. When: September 4, 09.30 CEST. Where: Online.
🤝 LET’S BE CIVIL
STRENGTHENING CIVIL SOCIETY – In parallel to its deregulation drive, the Commission has also pledged to present a Civil Society Strategy. This comes at a critical moment: as democratic backsliding deepens in parts of Europe, protecting the space for public participation can no longer be taken for granted. The Strategy is a chance to anchor civil society’s role more firmly at the heart of European democracy, ensuring that NGOs are empowered, civic space is safeguarded, and meaningful dialogue is strengthened.
CIVIL SOCIETY MATTERS – If you’re a regular reader of this newsletter, then you won’t need reminding that recent unfounded attacks on civil society, particularly environmental and climate organisations, have exposed the need for stronger and more consistent institutional support. At stake is the kind of society we want: one where all voices are heard by decision-makers, not just those who have the wallets to pay for it.
That is why 20 organisations, coordinated by the Democracy for Transition (D4T) Coalition, are urging the EU to seize this opportunity and deliver a forward-looking strategy that genuinely protects civil society and enables it to function.
Have your say – The public consultation and call for evidence for the Civil Society Strategy are open until 5 September.
IT’S ALL POLITICS – With civil society among the loudest opponents of the omnibus, this creates a bit of a paradox. In practice, how the Commission handles civil society’s objections to the omnibus and wider rollbacks may be an early test of the credibility of its civil society strategy.
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By: Ruby Silk. Special thanks to the EEB’s editorial team: Roi Gomez, Ben Snelson and Alberto Vela. Editor: Christian Skrivervik.
