Italian Withdrawal Shakes EU Negotiations on Green Claims Directive
Tiemo Wölken, a German socialist MEP overseeing discussions for the European Parliament, stated that Italy had initially expressed support for the initiative. However, this backing was retracted following a series of perplexing announcements from the European Commission, which hinted at a possible withdrawal of its proposal last Friday, reports 24brussels.
This shift from Italy signifies that the Polish Presidency, tasked with managing negotiations among EU member states, no longer possesses sufficient backing from governments within the EU to advance the discussions effectively.
On Sunday evening, it was reported that the negotiations, which were set to resume on Monday, have been temporarily halted due to “too many doubts” and a lack of transparency regarding the European Commission’s direction.
The European Commission announced intentions to abandon the proposed Green Claims Directive, stating disagreement with the inclusion of micro-enterprises under the rules. This legislation would require businesses to substantiate any environmental claims they make.
The announcement immediately led to confusion among EU diplomats and lawmakers, who expressed uncertainty about whether this indicated an end to the Commission’s negotiations.
On Monday, however, a representative from the Commission denied any intentions to withdraw the proposal prior to the final negotiation round with MEPs and EU member states.
A spokesperson for the Italian government had not provided a response at the time of this publication.
