“The debate on Pfizergate, we protected her from it, if this continues like this, we will stop protecting her,” said a senior Renew official. The Socialists and liberals could “stop playing the game and making deals in other files with EPP,” potentially blocking the EU’s legislative process, they added.
“The problem now is that the Commission is also answering to the alternative right-wing majority, not the centrist platform,” the official stated.
A spokesperson for the EPP welcomed the Commission’s announcement, claiming the current text under negotiation would have “led to a bureaucratic nightmare for companies.”
Besides being upset over the cancellation of the proposed law, both centrist parties accuse the EPP and the Commission president of bypassing the EU’s legislative process. The anti-greenwashing bill was already under negotiation between Parliament and the EU Council ― representing national governments ― after both institutions had approved their positions following months of work.
A Socialist official remarked that the situation has caused them to question “the whole basis of support for von der Leyen, and if she really goes through with this, that would be seen as breaching the platform, there is no platform left.”
“The Commission should be aware of the importance of the alliance and the commitments,” said S&D group chair Iratxe Garcia.
The way the negotiations on the greenwashing law were progressing would “go against the Commission’s simplification agenda,” stated Commission spokesperson Stefan De Keersmaecker. “Our objective has been to find an agreement on a legislative proposal that would reduce administrative burden and complexity for companies, particularly smaller companies.”
He added: “Obviously, the Commission remains fully committed to fighting greenwashing and ensuring that consumers are correctly informed and will continue to work on this objective.”
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