Good morning, Europe got a blood test this week.
So, how are its productivity and competitiveness levels? Oh, not that again. We have been measuring Europe’s pulse in GDP ticks since the Draghi report. This time, we ran an actual blood test. On real EU leaders.
We took blood samples from 24 senior officials: ministers, commissioners, and top civil servant. PFAS, the infamous “forever chemicals,” were found flowing through every single one of them. Meanwhile, calls for a universal ban grow louder.
It’s the perfect (and perfectly tragic) metaphor for the state of our continent. Europe is unwell: poisoned by unchecked pollution, weakened by delayed climate action, and exhausted by short-term thinking. Yet instead of treating the disease or changing its habits, some insist it just needs to run faster – ignoring all the symptoms.
With surgical precision, this edition covers:
💉 PFAS in the EU’s Bloodstream
🧑⚕️️ Simplification and deregulation: not the same medicine
🌡️ EU Parliament on a fever pitch
⚔️ Civic pulse rising
🌿 A dose of healthy good news
📰 Plus, two new EEB deep-dives: renewables in Sardinia and the right to information
Grab your cup of tea or, if you prefer, buy us a coffee – and let’s begin the examination 🩺
💉 PFAS: TEST RESULTS EUROPE CAN’T IGNORE
BLOOD DOESN’T LIE – At the EEB, we believe nothing holds up a clearer mirror to power than science. That’s why we conducted PFAS blood tests for EU Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall and ministers from France, Denmark, Belgium, and others who kindly volunteered. All 24 leaders were found to be contaminated. For half, levels exceeded thresholds beyond which negative consequences on health cannot be ruled out.
THE TOXIC CRISIS OF OUR TIMES – It doesn’t matter your background: if you live in Europe, you almost certainly have PFAS in your blood. It’s not our aim to spoil your week or make you paranoid. But like asbestos and lead before them, PFAS define the pollution crisis of our generation. And just as before, denial only delays protection. The only real remedy is prevention: banning these chemicals once and for all.
REASON FOR HOPE – One of the EU leaders – Leena Ylä-Mononen, Executive Director of the European Environment Agency – who had previously tested her blood with the EEB, showed a decline in PFAS levels, reflecting trends observed among the European population for restricted PFAS. The lesson? Regulation works. Where strong laws are in place, exposure falls.
These results prove two things: PFAS contamination spares no one, and regulation works as a cure. Read our press release.
PRESCRIPTION FOR A SICK EUROPE
PREVENTION IS CHEAPER THAN TREATMENT – In medicine, early treatment saves lives – and in public policy, it saves lives and billions. Cleaning up existing PFAS contamination could cost the EU up to €2 trillion over the next 20 years – not including the additional €52-84 billion in yearly health-related costs. Preventing further pollution through strong legislation isn’t just ethical, but also economically sound.
WHEN “SIMPLIFICATION” BECOMES NEGLIGENCE – Policy, like medicine, should be guided by rigorous evidence, not slogans. If bureaucracy truly hampers the EU’s functioning, let’s align reporting, cut duplication, and harmonise definitions. But when “simplification” lowers standards, delays enforcement or dodges monitoring, it’s not simplification – it’s deregulation in disguise.
PRESCRIBING DEREGULATION? Last week, Ursula von der Leyen finally said the quiet part out loud: ‘We all agree that we need simplification. We all agree that we need deregulation.’ The phrase caused outrage – and rightly so. Firstly, we do not all agree. Secondly, simplification and deregulation are not the same medicine. Simplification makes rules smarter. Deregulation makes them weaker. One trims friction, the other trims ambition – as Apostolos Thomadakis brilliantly put it in his Euractiv op-ed.
WHO’S PRESCRIPTION? Not Europe’s citizens – 75% of whom support binding rules to hold companies accountable for their climate and human rights impacts. Not the scientists or economists. But a tiny minority of powerful corporations that profit from the status quo, hijacking the narrative of “competitiveness” to undo environmental and social progress.
IT’S THE CLASSIC MISDIAGNOSIS – From costly toxic pollution to climate breakdown, Europe isn’t sick because of too much protection. It’s sick because it’s been ignoring the symptoms for too long. The EU doesn’t need a crash diet. It needs real care. The kind that cleans up its blood, strengthens its defences, and restores balance between people, planet, and prosperity.
The good news is that the EU has everything to heal. Political courage might be in dangerously short supply now – but that’s one shortage we can fix together.
🛒 SUSTAINABLE SHOPPING: CHEAPER, BUT HARDER
NOT A LUXURY FOR SNOBS – Speaking of good news: despite what you might think, eco-friendly products are not just for the wealthy. EEB’s new supermarket check across 13 European countries found that ecolabelled goods are actually cheaper than conventional ones almost everywhere – busting the myth that ‘eco’ means expensive. The real problem is finding them. Supermarkets simply aren’t making sustainable shopping easy.
MAKE SUSTAINABLE THE EASY CHOICE – In Denmark, 80% of supermarket products are ecolabelled. In Cyprus and Greece, just 2%… Supermarkets decide what’s on the shelves, what’s visible, and what’s affordable – so they hold the power to make sustainable choices accessible to everyone, everywhere in Europe. It’s time they used it. Read our findings and watch our video.
☑️ VOTES ARE IN
🚫 VDL’S NO-CONFIDENCE TEST – Ursula von der Leyen faced another high-wire act in Strasbourg as far-right and left-wing MEPs tabled no-confidence motions. Survival was guaranteed thanks to centrist backing, but cracks are showing. Socialists warn they may withdraw support if promises aren’t kept, Greens remain divided, and the motions underline growing dissatisfaction. Von der Leyen softened her tone, portraying herself as stability amid chaos – but the vultures are circling.
🏳 CAPITULATION ON GREEN RULES – Socialists caved to EPP demands on the First Omnibus Deregulation Package after threats to side with the far right. The ‘centrist’ deal reduces obligations to a few very large companies while drastically weakening due diligence and accountability. The deal keeps the “von der Leyen majority” alive, but the process (marked by threats, intense pressure, and the resignation of Lara Wolters, S&D’s lead negotiator) sets a dangerous precedent. It seems green rules can now be dismantled through fear of worse deals with the far right, and that some politicians care more about winning than doing what’s right.
🌾 FARMLAND AND NATURE AT RISK – MEPs voted to remove key environmental safeguards from the Common Agricultural Policy, including protections for Natura 2000 sites. Harmful farming practices will now be allowed in areas home to vulnerable species. This is not simplification but surrender to Big Agribusiness, ignoring public interest, future food security, and basic impact assessment. Europe deserves better. See our full press release.
🍔 ‘VEGGIE BURGER’ BANNED (seriously) – Remember those critics of absurd bureaucracy? Probably the same ones (mostly conservative and far-right) who this week voted to stop plant-based products from using words like “burger” or “sausage,” claiming consumers might be “confused.” Meanwhile, amid a frenzy of deregulation, some policymakers are still finding time to draft rules that cater to agri-food giants – at the expense of consumers, health, animal welfare, and Europe’s ecosystems.
⚔️ FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT
30,000 PEOPLE MARCHED THROUGH BRUSSELS on Sunday, with a simple message to EU leaders: our rights and our planet are not for sale. We all share the same aspirations: healthy food, decent jobs, affordable housing, clean air, and strong health care. Any political compass in Brussels must be guided by these principles, and not by big polluters’ agendas. They may be richer, but we are more numerous, and we will not let profit margins decide our future.
“In order to win the bold action that we’ll need to prevent climate catastrophe, we’re going to need a country where we have the right to dissent and protest”, warns Stevie O’Hanlon of the US Sunrise Movement. Shrinking civic space is already forcing the environmental movement to defend the very rights on which it depends.
STRONGER TOGETHER – Initiatives like the EEB’s Democracy for Transition Coalition show that environmental and democracy movements grow stronger together. Europe’s youth are stepping up, proposing mobile citizens’ initiatives and embedding digital literacy into lifelong learning. Our fight is not just for policies, but for the rules that let citizens demand change. Where should our collective energy go next?
🧠✨ DOPAMINE HIT
As ever, here are a few slightly happier updates to get your weekend off to a perky start:
- Solar and wind power overtake coal as the world’s biggest generator of electricity, report finds
- Lifting the ‘constant black cloud’: how a smog-bound city cut dangerous levels of air pollution. Read more here
- Microsoft will get near-zero-emission steel from Europe’s first large-scale green steel plant for its data centres. Read more.
- Circular practices in steel, cement, aluminium and plastic could slash 231 million tonnes of CO₂ per year – roughly Europe’s entire annual airline emissions. Read the EU report.
☕ BUY US A COFFEE
From dirty lobbies to smear campaigns, billionaire bullies to climate collapse, we face a lot. Support our work, one coffee at a time.
📢 ORGANISE
If you are not involved, get involved. Find a member organisation near you.
🚀 FOLLOW US
Don’t stay delulu, deal with the pollulu 🍃✨ Stay connected with us on LinkedIn, Bluesky, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Don’t miss out!
Are you a journalist? Subscribe here to stay up to date on our latest European environmental policy updates made specifically for you!
We have opened a new mailbox for your tips and tales from the ground. Got something you think we should feature? Reach out to us at newleaf@eeb.org.
✨ SIGN UP
Stay informed. Subscribe to our Newsletter by email for the latest EU green insider updates every Friday morning and to support our work. By subscribing, you also get early access to our in-depth analysis of key EU environmental policy.
By: Alberto Vela. Special thanks to the EEB’s editorial team: Ben Snelson, Ruby Silk and Roi Gomez. Editor: Christian Skrivervik.
