{"id":119646,"date":"2026-02-11T15:10:52","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T14:10:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eeb.org\/?p=119646"},"modified":"2026-02-11T15:10:52","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T14:10:52","slug":"why-competitiveness-is-becoming-a-cover-for-pollute-as-usual","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eeb.org\/fr\/why-competitiveness-is-becoming-a-cover-for-pollute-as-usual\/","title":{"rendered":"Why competitiveness is becoming a cover for \u201cpollute-as-usual&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Brussels, 11 February 2026 \u2013 With EU leaders meeting on 12 February to discuss competitiveness, civil society organisations are sounding the alarm. The push to rollback climate, environmental and health protections under the banner of \u201csimplification\u201d risks deepening &#8211; not solving &#8211; Europe\u2019s economic and social crises.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The European Environmental Bureau (EEB), Europe\u2019s largest network of environmental NGOs, <a href=\"https:\/\/eeb.org\/fr\/library\/letter-to-eu-leaders-on-competitiveness-and-deregulation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tells<\/a> EU leaders: enough is enough.<\/p>\n<p>This <strong>media briefing<\/strong> lays out why the EU\u2019s agenda on \u201ccompetitiveness\u201d and rule-revoking packages (\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/commission.europa.eu\/law\/law-making-process\/better-regulation\/simplification-and-implementation\/simplification_en\">Omnibuses<\/a>\u201d, in Brussels-speak) is based on misguided assumptions rather than evidence \u2013 and why it risks corporate capture and high costs for citizens.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>A gift for the slowest-movers<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>The EU Commission has been echoing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businesseurope.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2026-01-22-BusinessEurope-Omnibook-to-reduce-regulatory-burden.pdf\">narrative from industrial laggards<\/a>\u00a0that loosening environmental and social protections will boost its industrial competitiveness. On the contrary, strong environmental laws have historically\u00a0<strong>delivered legal certainty, driven innovation and rewarded early movers<\/strong>. Sweden\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/08\/13\/business\/sweden-economy-europe-competitiveness.html\">proves<\/a>\u00a0the point: a tech sector more than twice as productive as the EU average, thriving under some of Europe\u2019s toughest environmental and labour standards.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The real drags on Europe\u2019s industry are high energy costs, dependence on fossil fuel imports, and delayed investment in future-proof technologies. Despite industry\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.businesseurope.eu\/ambition2delivery\/\">calls<\/a>\u00a0for \u00e0 la carte exemptions that\u00a0<strong>reward transition\u00a0laggards and fossil fuel addicts<\/strong>, the EU should stay the course on decarbonisation by ensuring the full implementation of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and phasing out free allowances under the Emissions Trading System (ETS1). These are essential policy signals to unlock industrial transformation and strengthen European sovereignty by reducing fossil fuel dependence.<\/p>\n<h4 dir=\"ltr\"><strong>The cost of inaction<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Ursula von der Leyen\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/09\/Letter-Ursula-von-der-Leyen.pdf\">letter<\/a>\u00a0to EU heads ahead of the summit claimed that<strong>\u00a0simplification would generate \u20ac15 billion<\/strong>\u00a0annually in administrative savings &#8211; a figure that ignores the wider costs of such \u2018savings\u2019.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Meanwhile:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">Poor enforcement of existing environmental laws already\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/environment.ec.europa.eu\/document\/download\/05a3b495-14b1-4e21-b12f-e90750a486ed_en?filename=COM_2025_420_F1_COMMUNICATION_FROM_COMMISSION_TO_INST_EN_V6_P1_4037868.PDF\">costs<\/a>\u00a0Europe\u00a0<strong>\u20ac180 billion annually.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">Inaction on PFAS (\u201cforever chemicals\u201d) alone could\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/op.europa.eu\/en\/publication-detail\/-\/publication\/2bcea765-fbf8-11f0-8da5-01aa75ed71a1\/language-en\">cost<\/a>\u00a0<strong>\u20ac1.7 trillion by 2050<\/strong>, according to a recent EU Commission study.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><strong>Who pays the price<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Deregulation quietly <strong>shifts costs onto citizens<\/strong>. Weakening environmental, health and climate protections does not simplify life; it transfers the burden from polluters onto households, public health systems, communities, and taxpayers. Around 182,000 premature deaths\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/environment.ec.europa.eu\/topics\/air_en#:~:text=In%20the%20EU%20*%20182%2C000%20premature%20deaths,economic%20cost%20of%20air%20pollution%20(2025%20estimate)\">attributable<\/a>\u00a0to air pollution in Europe. As EU policymakers talk about weakening water laws for the mining sector,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eea.europa.eu\/en\/analysis\/publications\/europes-state-of-water-2024#:~:text=The%20deadline%20set%20by%20the,such%20as%20wetlands%20and%20rivers.\">only 29%<\/a>\u00a0of Europe\u2019s surface water achieved a good chemical status.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">It also\u00a0<strong>penalises innovators<\/strong>\u00a0and early movers and erodes trust in EU governance, as recently\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/european-industry-revolts-eu-plan-weaker-carbon-border-tax-tariff-climate-policy\/\">seen<\/a> with a proposed exemption for fertilisers under the implementation of CBAM.<\/p>\n<h4 dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Democracy at stake<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Exemptions for polluters, rushed Omnibus packages, and sidelining public consultations <strong>undermine trust in EU institutions<\/strong>, and have\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ombudsman.europa.eu\/en\/press-release\/en\/215989\">received<\/a>\u00a0red cards from the European Ombudsman. When rules are shaped behind closed doors to benefit corporate lobbyists, political polarisation grows, and citizens feel ignored. The focus is misaligned with\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.europarl.europa.eu\/news\/en\/press-room\/20260126IPR32643\/eu-survey-rising-concerns-push-demand-for-more-european-action\">citizen concerns<\/a>, which highlight anxiety over the cost of living, safety, and climate-change-driven natural disasters.<\/p>\n<h4 dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Public pushback is real<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Recent months show the depth of public concern:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">In just a few days, over<strong>\u00a0175,000 people\u00a0<\/strong>have signed the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.handsoffnature.eu\/\">Hands Off Nature petition<\/a>, calling on European leaders to<strong>\u00a0stop environmental deregulation.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/info\/law\/better-regulation\/have-your-say\/initiatives\/14794-Simplification-of-administrative-burdens-in-environmental-legislation-\/feedback_en?p_id=20100\">Nearly<strong>\u00a0200,000 citizens<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0responded to a Commission consultation\u00a0<strong>defending EU nature laws<\/strong>; the highest participation ever recorded.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">People are not asking governments to do less. They are asking them to do what only public institutions can do: defend shared goods, protect health and nature, and actively improve quality of life. That requires ambition and leadership, not retreat.<\/p>\n<p><strong>ENDS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><!--more--><br \/>\n<strong>Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/eeb.org\/fr\/library\/letter-to-eu-leaders-on-competitiveness-and-deregulation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Letter to EU leaders on competitiveness and deregulation.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/eeb.org\/fr\/library\/open-letter-pro-regulation-declaration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pro-regulation declaration.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/eeb.org\/fr\/environmental-omnibus-eu-commission-weakens-another-set-of-laws-amid-maladministration-red-flags\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Environmental Omnibus: EU Commission weakens another set of laws amid maladministration red flags.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ipbes.net\/global-assessment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Brussels, 11 February 2026 \u2013 With EU leaders meeting on 12 February to discuss competitiveness, civil society organisations are sounding the alarm. The push to rollback<span class=\"excerpt-hellip\"> [\u2026]<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":119647,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-119646","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/eeb.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/META-featured-image-right-size-54.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eeb.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119646","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eeb.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eeb.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eeb.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/64"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eeb.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119646"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/eeb.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119646\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eeb.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/119647"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eeb.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119646"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eeb.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119646"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eeb.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119646"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}