470 organisations denounce deregulation campaign ahead of von der Leyen’s State of the Union speech

9 September 2025 – Today, civil society, trade unions, and public interest groups delivered a clear message to Commission President von der Leyen, the European Commissioners, and EU Member States in a statement signed by 470 organisations. They denounce the deregulation campaign that takes centre stage in the European Commission’s strategy for this term.

Tomorrow, President Ursula von der Leyen will address the European Parliament with her ‘State of the Union’ speech. Nine months on under her leadership, the European Commission is planning an unprecedented wave of drastic cuts to regulations protecting labour, social, and human rights, as well as digital rights, and the environment.

The organisations warn that over the next four years, the Commission and EU Member States may dismantle rules that govern companies operating in the EU at a scale that will set progress on environmental protection, social rights, digital rights and climate policies back many years.

Kenneth Haar, researcher and campaigner at Corporate Europe Observatory, said:
“This is about implementing wishlists from corporate lobby groups. The Commission shapes its deregulation tsunami by giving corporations extreme levels of privileged access, deeply undemocratic levels of corporate capture. There will be a reaction from civil society, and our statement and the support it got, shows that clearly. This is not the kind of Europe we want.”

Ella Jakubowska, Head of Policy at European Digital Rights (EDRi), said:
“In the digital age, we all rely on strong, consistent and well-enforced laws. They protect us from predatory corporations, like Big Tech, as well as from over-reach and discrimination by state actors. But these vital democratic checks-and-balances, which bring power back to the people and give us control over our data and our private lives, are under attack from those that want to put profit ahead of human rights and justice.”

Greg Van Elsen, Senior Industrial Policy Coordinator at Climate Action Network Europe, said:
“Instead of driving a bold green industrial policy, the Commission is surrendering to the polluting industries demanding deregulation and delay. Watering down the 2040 climate target and dismantling environmental protections is not an industrial strategy—it’s a dead end for workers, citizens, and the planet. It risks locking the EU into more fossil fuel dependence just when we need to break free from it.”

Jan Willem Goudriaan, EPSU General Secretary, said:
“The omnibus proposals are a threat to workers’ rights and health and safety. They roll back protections for our environment and our communities. They advance the interests of corporations, not workers and people. At the same time, public services and regulators are underfunded and lack resources. Without rules and enforcement, corporations will steal from workers, harm our environment, and violate our communities. We expect the Commission to promote the interests of all, not the few. The omnibuses undermine the rules that make our societies better. They put lives and communities at risk. They should be withdrawn.”