EU directive on environmental claims must be stopped formally!

"The European Commission's announcement to withdraw its proposal for a directive on environmental claims is clearly to be supported. It would be an important and consistent step with major positive impact, especially on the skilled crafts sector. This announcement shows that economic reality and proportionality are evidently being taken into account in political decision-making. However, it is now crucial that this step is now formally implemented within the Commission.

Particularly in light of the current economic challenges, it would be irresponsible to confront businesses with additional bureaucratic burden and regulations doubling up. The withdrawal is objectively justified, as the necessary burden on SMEs would clearly have been exceeded. 

The Commission's previous proposal stipulated that environmental claims should in the future be scientifically substantiated and certified by an accredited body before being used. Infringements would have been subject to a fine. For craft businesses, such mandatory scientific validation and certification of environmental claims would simply not have been feasible. Craft businesses cannot afford to pay for expensive life cycle analyses and then have them certified by an accredited body. There was a real danger that this would have put them at a disadvantage in competition with large producers."