The Commission, on Tuesday (22 July), launched a Call for Evidence on how to simplify environmental legislation and reduce administrative burdens at the implementation level.
The upcoming environmental omnibus proposal will put together a series of measures to simplify environmental legislation concerning the circular economy, industrial emissions and waste management.
The objective is to identify existing EU environmental policies that have the potential for real simplification for operators without affecting the EU’s environmental objectives and the protection of human health.
The Commission is seeking stakeholder input on how to make EU environmental laws faster, easier and cheaper to implement, thereby making life easier for EU businesses. Measures can include streamlining administrative obligations, removing double-obligations to report, promoting further digitalisation of reporting, and addressing permitting challenges.
The Commission is also screening environmental legislation to identify legislative acts with administrative simplification potential and will analyse suggestions gathered from current and previous consultation processes.
All stakeholders are encouraged to respond using the Have Your Say portal. The feedback period for the Call for Evidence is open until 10 September.
It is aligned with key EU initiatives, such as the Competitiveness Compass, which sets the target of cutting administrative burden by at least 25% for all companies and at least 35% for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The Compass also calls for accelerated permitting for sectors in transition to a clean and digital economy in the EU.
In its work programme for 2025, the Commission announced a series of measures to address overlapping, unnecessary or disproportionate rules that create barriers for EU companies. Collectively, with these measures, the Commission wants to reduce administrative burdens by 25%, and by 35% for small and medium-sized businesses, by the end of its mandate in 2029.
For more information, contact ENV-SIMPLIFICATIONec [dot] europa [dot] eu (ENV-SIMPLIFICATION[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu).