ENVI and IMCO Members adopted a report on the proposed Directive on substantiation and communication of explicit environmental claims. The co-Rapporteurs are Mr Cyrus Engerer (S&D, ENVI) and Mr Andrus Ansip (Renew, IMCO). The first reading position was adopted in plenary on 12 March 2024 and the file will now have to be followed up by the new Parliament after the European elections on 6-9 June.
In a nutshell, Parliament's position provides for:
- Environmental marketing claims like "biodegradable" or "less polluting" to be submitted for verification before companies may use them
- Simpler and common types of claims to benefit from easier or faster verification
- Penalties including exclusion from procurement processes, confiscation of revenues, and a fine of at least 4% of annual turnover.
IMCO co-Rapporteur, Mr Ansip said: "Consumers and entrepreneurs deserve transparency, legal clarity and equal conditions of competition.... I am pleased that the solution proposed by the committees is balanced, brings more clarity to consumers and is, in many cases, less burdensome for businesses than the solution originally proposed by the Commission."
Procedure File
Press release & More information following the adoption of the first reading position in plenary on 12 March 2024
Press release & more information following the adoption of the report in committee
Recording of the discussion on the amendments and compromise amendments at the joint-committee meeting of 24 January 2024
Recording of the presentation of the draft report at the joint-committee meeting of 6 November 2023
Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP