The European Commission "intends to withdraw" a directive against "greenwashing", under pressure from the right and the far right

Every day at noon, Commission spokespersons answer questions from journalists following European news in Brussels. While the exercise is largely under control, it gave rise to an incredible scene on Friday, June 20. Against all expectations, one of the institution's communications officers, Maciej Berestecki, announced, without giving the slightest explanation for this about-face, "the Commission's intention to withdraw" its proposal for a directive drawn up to combat the practice of "greenwashing," which sees companies wrongly attributing environmental virtues to their products.

It is rare for the Commission to withdraw a text, and when it does, it is most often because it notes that the legislative process has stalled after years of discussions. In this case, the text on environmental claims is currently being negotiated between the Member States and the European Parliament – ​​a new meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 23 – and there was no indication that the EU executive, which tabled its proposal in March 2023, would reach this point.

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