Green Claims Directive on Hold: Turning Point or Temporary Pause?
On 20 June 2025, the European Commission announced during a midday press briefing that it intended to withdraw the proposal on the Green Claims Directive (GCD), citing concerns over the administrative burden the latest draft would place on SMEs. Shortly after, Italy announced its decision to withdraw its support for the Directive in the Council.
In light of the European Commission announcement and Italy’s withdrawal of support, on 23 June, just hours before holding the third and potentially last trilogue negotiations, the Polish Presidency cancelled the meeting and suspended the work on the dossier due to the prevailing uncertainty and growing opposition to the file in the EU Parliament.
Although the European Commission signalled its intention to act, the institution has not yet formally withdrawn the proposal, leaving its legal status and state-of-play unclear. On the Parliament’s side, the two co-rapporteurs expressed their willingness and pre-disposition to continue working on the file during a press conference held on 23 June. As for the Council, Denmark, which started assuming the rotating presidency on 1 July 2025, is now responsible for determining the way forward in the interinstitutional negotiations. Negotiations on the file currently remain on hold.
Companies need good and proportionate EU legislation. However, as it currently stands, the proposal for a GCD misses the mark. It risks discouraging companies from communicating legitimate sustainability efforts and diverting resources away from innovation towards complex compliance burdens; threatening both the competitiveness of the EU and the success of the green transition.
Therefore, amid the ongoing uncertainty, EUROPEN remains committed to engaging constructively and continue to call for a proportionate and clear framework to:
- Guarantee access to trustworthy information to consumers;
- Levelling the playing field for companies and safeguarding businesses’ competitiveness; and
- Avoiding duplication of requirements, namely in relation to packaging
WHAT DID YOU MISS?
28 January 2025: First political trilogue on GCD
24 April 2025: Second political trilogue on GCD
20 June 2025: European Commission announcement to withdraw the proposal
23 June 2025: The Polish Presidency cancelled the third trilogue on GCD
WHAT'S NEXT?
Q3-Q4 2025: EU institutions to decide the course of action for the negotiations (tbc)