https://eeb.org/eu-must-stay-the-course-commissions-2025-work-programme-...
“President von der Leyen promised to stay the course on all European Green Deal goals, yet today’s Work Programme tells a different story, deprioritsing the very goals where action is most urgent – particularly the Zero Pollution ambition,” said Patrick ten Brink, Secretary General at the EEB. “The EU must resist the siren song of deregulation, which would only undermine regulatory certainty and predictability for businesses, weaken long-term sustainability-led competitiveness, and erode citizens’ wellbeing and trust.“
Concerns are mounting over the proposed Omnibus Regulation, which could serve as a backdoor for the deregulation of corporate responsibility under the guise of “simplification.” Recent trends show that simplification is too often used to weaken essential safeguards, from chemicals legislation to agriculture. The rushed Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform in March, which stripped out green safeguards, is a stark example. Now, the long-overdue REACH revision, once framed as a tool to protect public health and the environment, risks being repackaged as a “simplification” measure to ease industry rules.
“The EU must ensure that cutting red tape does not mean cutting environmental and public health protections. Smart implementation should strengthen, not undermine, the European Green Deal,” Faustine Bas-Defossez, Policy Director at the EEB, added.
At the same time, civil society is under growing pressure across the EU, with restrictive foreign agent laws, protest crackdowns, and funding cuts threatening fundamental rights. The European Democracy Shield and the upcoming EU Civil Society Strategy must deliver more than symbolic commitments – they must provide legal protections, sustainable funding, and structured civil dialogue with EU institutions.
“The Commission’s Work Programme must prioritise safeguarding democracy by strengthening civil society,” Patrizia Heidegger, Deputy Secretary General of the EEB, urged. “Without an independent and well-resourced civil society, European democracy itself is at risk.”
A Work Programme of Hope – If the EU Delivers
The Commission’s commitments to a Clean Industrial Deal, Circular Economy Act, Water Resilience Initiative, the renewed commitment to a proposed 2040 90% emission reduction target, and Oceans Pact hold great potential, but only if they remain ambitious and free from loopholes. The Clean Industrial Deal must ensure full decarbonisation and zero pollution. The Circular Economy Act must be non-toxic. Water resilience must tackle pollution at its core. Climate adaptation must protect people and communities. And crucially, the MFF and any future Clean Competitiveness Fund must align with climate and sustainability goals to drive long-term transformation.
“In these uncertain times, hope risks becoming a diminishing dream,” said Patrick ten Brink. “But if the Commission stays the course on the Green Deal and stands firm on its commitments – this Work Programme can translate into real action for people, the planet, and the economy.”
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