Last week in Brussels: the ETS reform is walking into its toughest audience yet, and ‘Made in Europe’ is becoming a hot trade-policy debate this summer. Meanwhile, the Commission’s July infringement package just reminded a dozen member states that recycling targets were not, in fact, optional.
Only €4bn of €112bn in ETS revenues went to industrial decarbonisation, 2021-24: According to a report by the Jacques Delors Institute, countries earned €112 billion in ETS revenues over the period but reported only €53bn as climate and energy expenditure – and just 8% of total revenue, around €4bn, could be clearly identified as supporting industrial decarbonisation, despite EU rules requiring 100% of ETS revenue to be allocated to such purposes.
French, Italian and German business lobbies set out joint ETS reform priorities: In a 7 July statement sent to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen ahead of the 17 July proposal, Medef, BDI and Confindustria said free emission allowances must continue past the 2034 cut-off ‘for sectors and value chains where carbon leakage risks persist, and the CBAM is not working.’
Commission adopts revised sustainability reporting standards to ease reporting burden: On 3 July, the Commission adopted revised European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) and a new voluntary reporting standard for smaller companies, cutting mandatory datapoints by over 60% and expected reporting costs by more than 30% per company.
Parliament’s environment committee weighs in on Industrial Accelerator Act: On 6 July, ENVI considered its draft opinion on the Industrial Accelerator Act.
Parliament debates Environment Omnibus simplification package: On 2 July, ENVI held a joint debate on two draft reports simplifying EU rules on industrial emissions, waste, batteries and reporting requirements.
MEPs split over suspending EPR authorised-representative rules for waste, batteries and packaging: On 3 July, ENVI committee members tabled amendments to two (here and here) Commission proposals suspending the requirement for non-EU producers to appoint an authorised representative for extended producer responsibility obligations.
ENVI weighs in on the 2027 EU budget: On 2 July, ENVI considered its draft opinion on the general EU budget for 2027, pushing for climate, environmental, biodiversity and sustainable-food priorities to get maximum support – including extra LIFE programme funding, backing for a just transition, and sufficient resources for EFSA and other agencies
Circular Economy Act still absent from Commission’s planning agenda: The upcoming circular economy regulation, due by end-September, is missing from the Commission’s latest indicative agenda, published 6 July.
Industry coalition opposes reopening single-use plastics directive: Ten industrial lobbies plus the US Chamber of Commerce argued in a joint statement that assessing the directive’s impact now is premature given several of its provisions haven’t yet taken effect, warning that reopening it risks creating legal uncertainty that could delay investment for two to three years.
Textile industry presses Commission for faster waste-management guidance: Four European textile-industry associations urged the Commission, in a letter dated 6 July, to issue guidance on textile waste management without waiting for extended producer responsibility rules due in 2028, pointing to inconsistencies across the four national schemes already running.
MEP questions Commission over divergent plastic-waste export rules and DIWASS glitches: Submitted 30 June, a written question from Wouter Beke (PPE) asks the Commission about inconsistent national enforcement of plastic-waste export rules and technical failures in the Digital Waste Shipment System (DIWASS).
July infringement package: On 8 July, the Commission published its July infringement package.
Study: cleaning up the worst PFAS sites would barely dent the problem: A study published 6 July in Environmental Science by the Forever Pollution Project found that decontaminating sites polluted by regulated PFAS would cost €37 billion over twenty years, while treating all PFAS across a broader range of sites would run to €100 billion a year – and still leave 98% of overall pollution unaddressed.
Roswall’s chief of staff returns to DG Fisma: Paulina Dejmek Hack was named deputy director-general of DG Fisma on 7 July, returning to a department where she worked before joining Commissioner Jessika Roswall’s cabinet in 2024.
