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🙋 WHO WANTS A HISTORY LESSON?

Christian Skrivervik

🫰 God Morgen, dear reader, 
 
This week, we rediscovered the EEB’s very first manifesto, written almost 50 years ago. Turns out, we’ve been making the same arguments for half a century. While the language was different, the warning was not: endless growth on a finite planet can’t end well. 

We said it then (long before it became mainstream 😎) and we stand by it today: Economic expansion is not an end in itself. The European project must rest on a social and ecological contract, designed to improve people’s lives in harmony with nature. The Green Deal may well be the initiative that has come closest to this vision – a vision we set out in 1977.  

So, if we’re calling “simplification” a wolf in sheep’s clothing, that’s because our institutional memory is pretty solid. And if being a friend to the European project means being honest when an intervention is needed, we’re here to help keep standards high and corporate capture low. Let’s use the lessons of the last half-century to break toxic patterns. 

After being the editor for what must be hundreds of editions of New Leaf, the roles are briefly reversed this week, as I – Chris – step into the author’s shoes for the very first time. Not only to wish New Leaf author Ben good health, but also a very happy birthday️ 🎂 

This week we cover: 

A small disclaimer from your friendly neighbourhood fifty-something NGO: 

We’re not planning on retiring – we’re expanding! Join us on our new Substack for longer, deeper New Leaf reflections, where institutional memory meets present-day reality. 

And if you believe in caring for ancient civil institutions, you can always buy us a coffee. Feel free to think of it as heritage conservation, but liquid ☕ 

🏭 EUROPE’S INDUSTRIAL HEADACHE

Accelerating with the handbrake on – For the third time, the EU Commission has delayed its flagship Industrial Accelerator Act – now supposedly due next Thursday. An “Accelerator” that keeps hitting the brakes is hardly a marketing triumph. Behind the scenes, intense lobbying and internal disagreements are slowing what was meant to become the EU’s flagship industrial lever, creating lead markets for strategic sectors such as green steel, low-carbon cement and clean tech. 

Origin or purpose? A leaked draft seen by EEB suggests the Commission wants to use public procurement to bolster domestic industry. At least 25% of steel and aluminium in public projects would need to be EU-sourced and low-carbon. For concrete, the bar is set at 5%. Decarbonisation projects could benefit from fast-track permitting, though what qualifies as such remains vague. 

Made with EU – but made how? At the EEB, we believe that competitiveness, whichever way you define it, cannot be reduced to geography. When it comes to public money, the real question is not where something is made, but what it delivers for society as a whole. Procurement should prioritise renewables-based steel, circular materials and clean technologies – not prop up outdated industries wrapped in a European flag. Read our position. 

💧 BIG WATER NEWS

Action on pollutants – This week, Member States updated EU water rules, expanding the list of priority substances to include a group of PFAS and other harmful industrial and pharmaceutical chemicals. They also introduce improved monitoring methods to better detect harmful chemical mixtures. That’s progress for protecting drinking water, rivers, lakes, fish and those who love swimming (🙋). 

What’s the catch – Alongside the stronger pollutant list came two new exemptions: allowing “short-term” deterioration of water bodies and permitting pollution to be relocated from one water body to another. Not only do these exemptions put the health of European waters in jeopardy, they undermine a core principle of EU water law: non-deterioration. 

Time to defend the Water Framework Directive – As readers of New Leaf now have come to know very well, creating loopholes in vital protections means shifting environmental and health costs onto communities while shielding short-term industrial interests (profit, duh). Read our take. 

And water is not at all an isolated case. 

🧪 WHO PAYS FOR CHEMICAL POLLUTION?

Simplification or dilution? The same tension runs through the EU’s chemicals policy. Despite repeated promises of a high level of protection (through the REACH regulation), harmful substances remain widespread. 

Their own data says so – As we’ve reported before, the Commission itself estimates that inaction on PFAS “forever chemical” pollution alone could cost society up to €1.7 trillion by 2050. Those costs do not disappear. They worsen over time and are absorbed by people bearing the health impacts, taxpayers, public budgets and future generations. Just as the chemicals themselves are absorbed into our own bloodstreams, and those of our kids, our friends and our families. 

Make it make sense – Yet, somehow, there is a Chemicals Omnibus proposal in the making, aimed not to improve, but to remove existing protections in the name of urgency and cutting red tape – threatening public health, innovation, and transparency.  
 
And for what? Weakening or stalling the regulation of harmful chemicals does not even solve industry challenges like high energy costs, fossil fuel dependence, or global competition. So why does the EU look set to sacrifice everyone’s health for this?  

That’s why the EEB, together with more than 30 other civil society organisations, are calling for EU leaders to put protections first.     

The good news – Across Europe, people are noticing. Close to 250,000 people have signed the Hands-Off Nature petition to defend environmental protections – from water laws to chemicals regulation. 

👉 Sign the petition now and join the pan-European call to help protect the laws that protect us. 

🐘 METHANE MATTERS (MORE THAN YOU THINK)

We have the numbers – A new study from the Methane Matters Coalition maps the scale of ozone pollution across Europe and methane’s role in driving it. Like so many other pollutants, ozone does not respect borders. It harms health, reduces crop yields and weakens forests – costing taxpayers over €80 billion and 775,000 life-years each year. 

The invisible driver – Yet lawmakers keep ignoring the big, gassy elephant in the room: methane – one of ozone’s main drivers. That is striking, given that cutting methane emissions is also one of the fastest and most cost-effective ways to deliver immediate health and climate benefits. 

We made a map – to show the extent of pollution and where action is needed. What’s missing is political prioritisation. Our expert on methane, Luc Powell, spoke to the EUObserver about why cutting methane is the obvious choice. 

👗 STOP TRYING TO MAKE SHEIN HAPPEN! 

Ultra-fast, ultra-problematic – This week, the Commission has opened a formal investigation into Shein under the Digital Services Act, probing whether the ultra-fast fashion giant is allowing illegal and unsafe products onto the EU market… from toys that fail safety standards (like being riddled with forever chemicals) to deeply troubling reports of child-like sex dolls.  
 
But that’s only half the story – Investigators are also digging into whether Shein’s app relies on addictive design features to keep users scrolling and spending, and whether it is sufficiently transparent about how its recommendation algorithms steer consumer choices.  
 
Allez, la France! – France is already moving against illegal products, proposing a new law to tackle the most harmful practices in the textile sector. But, instead of embracing France’s inspiring initiative, the EU Commission is keeping it in limbo.  

The big picture – Enforcement is welcome. But policing individual violations will not fix a business model built on overproduction and regulatory loopholes. Last week’s move to ban the destruction of unsold apparel under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) is long overdue, as Europe’s textile waste crisis is systemic, not accidental. 

Digital wild west – A destruction ban could curb waste and challenge the “buy, return, discard” model – though loopholes risk weakening its impact. Meanwhile, online marketplaces are not required to proactively ensure compliance. They act once violations are flagged. That leaves a regulatory blind spot wide enough for unsafe goods to flood the market. 

And that’s why we’re here – With more than 60 NGOs, industry and retail associations, the EEB is calling for stronger EU rules to close dangerous loopholes in online trade, guarantee product safety and ensure fair competition. 

❤️‍🩹 PUBLIC INTEREST NOT SPECIAL INTEREST

From inside the house – This week, Members of the European Parliament across the political spectrum launched a Manifesto on Civil Society, pledging to protect independent organisations and guarantee structured participation in EU policymaking. At a time of mounting pressure on civic space that commitment is not symbolic. It is essential. Invite your MEP to join the Civil Society Interest Group, here. 

Surprise, surprise – New reporting from EUObserver suggests that an ongoing Parliamentary inquiry into NGOs, led by the far-right, is less about transparency and more about political ideology. An ideology that favours (ironically) less public scrutiny, weaker protections for people and planet, and more space for corporate lobbyists. 

But, but, but – In a recent hearing, the Commission was clear: political views are not an EU funding criterion, compliance with EU values, however, is – including human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and human rights. In other words, the foundations organisations like the EEB work to uphold. 

Let’s be real – If you support EU values, there’s no question that civil society belongs at the table. The real issue is what kind of table Europe wants: one shaped by democracy and the public interest, or one dominated by those who can buy influence like billionaires, fossil fuel companies, tech bros and other vested interests. 

The EEB is not working for a handful of shareholders, but for a future where people and planet thrive together – and we have been for over 50 years.  

🧠✨ DOPAMINE HIT

As ever, here are a few happy updates to get your weekend off to a perky start: 

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

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