Brussels, 10 June 2025. As the Commission moves forward with a deregulation drive in favour of corporate interests, Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe today co-organised a high-level event — “Rules to Protect – The Real-Life Consequences of Deregulation” — uniting civil society, trade unions and policymakers to call for the protection of rules that safeguard people and the planet.
The event takes place following the Commission’s unveiling of its first of many Omnibus proposals earlier this year, presented as a move to reduce administrative burdens and simplify rules for businesses in the EU. But behind the rhetoric of streamlining processes and “cutting red tape” lies the risk of dangerous rollbacks in hard-won sustainability, climate protection and human rights standards.
Chiara Martinelli, Director at CAN Europe said:
“The EU’s recent moves mark a step back from the ambition and climate leadership it once championed. From the Omnibus proposals to the weakening of the 2040 climate target, this appears less like a bold shift in competitiveness and industrial policy and more like a slow-motion dismantling of the Green Deal.
We are here to send a unified and urgent message to EU decision makers: defend the rules that protect people and the planet. These rules are not barriers to growth, but the foundations of a sustainable and resilient Europe, one that is truly competitive and committed to delivering for the planet’s and people’s well-being.”
The Omnibus package allows previously approved laws to be reopened and renegotiated before even being fully implemented. This includes the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), which was only just approved in 2024.
Obstructing, delaying or weakening democratically adopted regulations signals a shift in priorities towards short-term private profit at the expense of the long-term social and environmental objectives that these rules were designed to achieve in the EU and beyond.
At the event, speakers from affected communities in Belgium, France and Spain shared testimonies of corporate abuse and regulatory failure, making clear the high human cost of deregulation. Their voices were joined by MEP Anna Cavazzini, Greens/EFA, and Mirzha de Manuel, Member of the Cabinet of Commission Executive Vice-President Dombrovskis as well as other high-level representatives from civil society and trade union organisations, underlining the urgent need for robust, people-centred rules.
Ruth Lipphardt, an activist with SOS Suído Seixo / Mina Alberta NON — a civic and environmental platform in Galicia, Spain, established to prevent lithium mining in the wetlands of Serra do Suído — said:
“Mining and metal processing are among the world’s most polluting industries, driving us beyond the tipping point of no return within the next few decades. Increased extraction is causing irreversible damage, and without strong environmental and social safeguards, people are left to bear the consequences of misguided political choices and are forced to share their precious water resources with polluting mines. Laws must prioritise the protection of people and the environment by preventing these harmful contamination practices.”
Toon Penen from Grondrecht, a collective of concerned citizens who have united in response to the PFAS pollution in Zwijndrecht and Antwerp, said:
“Deregulation weakens environmental and social protection, leading to devastating consequences. Tragedies like the PFAS-pollution in Zwijndrecht contaminate the soil, water and even our blood serum, showing the real price of weak enforcement and dismantled protective systems. Rules are vital to safeguard lives, our environment, and ensure a fair and green transition that works for people.”
Notes to the editors:
The event has been organised by Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe, Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO), Friends of the Earth Europe (FoEE), European Coalition for Corporate Justice (ECCJ), European Environmental Bureau (EEB), European Federation of Public Services (EPSU), European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). Here’s the full programme.
For more information and media requests:
Alessia Luzzati, Communications Assistant, alessia.luzzati@caneurope.org
