EEB assessment of the Danish Presidency & Ten Green Tests for the Cypriot Presidency
Every six months, the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) publishes an independent reality check on the EU Council Presidency – what it delivered, what it failed to do, and what must happen next. In short: did this Presidency make Europe safer, fairer and more environmentally friendly – or not?
Please find below two documents from the EEB:
Together, these texts assess the outgoing Presidency and set out clear expectations for the months ahead – at a time when EU environmental, health and democratic safeguards are under growing pressure.
While the Danish Presidency made important efforts to put science and evidence back at the heart of EU policymaking, including through constructive engagement with civil society, it ultimately fell short of reversing the current and dangerous deregulation trajectory and of making the protection of civil society a core political priority.
As the baton passes to Cyprus, the question is not whether Europe can afford strong environmental and health protections – but whether it can afford to weaken them.
Patrick ten Brink, Secretary General of the EEB, said:
“At a moment of rising disinformation and climate denial, the Danish Presidency made welcome efforts to re-anchor EU debates in science and facts. This helped secure progress on climate targets and push back against some of the most damaging, non-science-based deregulation attempts. But overall, these efforts were not enough to change the broader direction of travel. Europe remains on a risky path of deregulation that undermines long-term competitiveness, resilience and public trust.”
Faustine Bas-Defossez, Policy Director at the EEB, added:
“Putting evidence on the table matters – whether through Council conclusions on the triple crisis or hard facts like PFAS testing. But evidence only protects people if it leads to political decisions. Environmental and health standards are not bureaucratic obstacles. They are Europe’s insurance policy. The next Presidency must continue re-anchoring EU debates in science and facts – but be far more robust in defending the laws that protect people and nature, and in standing up for civil society at a time when it is increasingly under attack.”
The attached Ten Green Tests for the Cypriot Presidency outline concrete benchmarks for safeguarding environmental and health protections, resisting harmful deregulation and strengthening democratic resilience across EU policymaking.
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