EU Proposes Streamlined Regulations for Industrial Emissions, Resource Reuse, and Waste Disposal
The European Union's upcoming environmental omnibus proposal is expected to be unveiled in late 2025. This initiative aims to simplify environmental legislation and reduce administrative burdens in key areas such as the circular economy, industrial emissions, and waste management. The proposed changes focus on making environmental laws faster, easier, and cheaper to implement without compromising environmental and health objectives[1][2].
The proposal includes several key changes and objectives:
- Streamlining administrative obligations to reduce complexity for operators and businesses.
- Removing double-reporting obligations, thus simplifying compliance requirements.
- Promoting further digitalization of environmental reporting to enhance efficiency.
- Addressing permitting challenges to accelerate permits, especially for sectors transitioning to a clean and digital economy.
- Screening existing environmental legislation to identify acts with the greatest potential for administrative simplification.
- Targeting a cut of administrative burdens by 25% overall and 35% for SMEs by 2029, in alignment with the EU’s Competitiveness Compass initiative[2].
However, the proposal has raised some concerns. For instance, there is controversy over proposals such as:
- Discontinuing the SCIP database, which tracks substances of concern in products, could potentially reduce transparency about toxic materials and raise occupational health and safety risks for waste workers.
- Potential weakening of Extended Producer Responsibility rules and overall reduction in reporting are feared to increase hazards for over 1 million workers in the waste and recycling sectors[4].
As the EU's environmental omnibus seeks to bundle measures that sharply reduce red tape in environmental legislation, there is simultaneous debate about ensuring worker safety and environmental protections remain intact.
This initiative is part of a major simplification push in the EU, following the release of the "Competitiveness Compass" in January. The Commission plans to adopt the new proposals in Q4 2025. The first major package under the simplification process was Omnibus I, launched by the Commission in February 2025[3]. This package proposed changes to regulations including the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), the Taxonomy Regulation, and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).
The Commission's policy measures are intended to reduce administrative burden without undermining the environmental objectives of the concerned legislation. The measures aim to reduce costs for companies in reporting, monitoring, notifying, and auditing, among other administrative burdens. The Commission also plans to address permitting challenges relating to environment assessments[3].
[1] European Commission. (2023). Commission Work Programme 2023. Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/info/publications/commission-work-programme-2023_en
[2] European Commission. (2023). Reducing administrative burden and simplifying legislation. Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/europe-fit-digital-age/administrative-burden-businesses_en
[3] European Commission. (2025). Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/12541-Proposal-for-a-Regulation-of-the-European-Parliament-and-of-the-Council-on-the-Corporate-Sustainability-Reporting-Directive-CSRD
[4] European Trade Union Confederation. (2023). ETUC position on the European Commission's proposal for a Regulation on the Circular Economy. Retrieved from https://www.etuc.org/IMG/pdf/etuc_position_paper_on_the_circular_economy_proposal_23032023.pdf
- The upcoming environmental omnibus proposal from the European Union targets a reduction of administrative burdens by 25% overall and 35% for SMEs by 2029, which includes streamlining administrative obligations and enhancing digitalization of environmental reporting.
- However, concerns have risen regarding potential impacts on worker safety and environmental protections, such as the discontinuation of the SCIP database and the potential weakening of Extended Producer Responsibility rules.
- The Commission's environmental omnibus initiative is part of a larger simplification push in the EU, which includes changes to regulations like the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), aiming to reduce costs for companies in areas like reporting, monitoring, and notifying.
- In order to balance the simplification drive with environmental objectives, the Commission plans to address permitting challenges relating to environment assessments and continue to encourage corporate sustainability and energy efficiency within industries.
