A coalition of 18 environmental NGOs, including prominent groups such as ClientEarth, EEB, ChemSec, and HEAL, has expressed significant concerns over the Draghi report on EU competitiveness ahead of today’s Environment Council meeting. The NGOs have written a letter to the Council and Commission, warning against overestimating the report’s statements on chemicals due to what they describe as ‘alarming shortcomings’ and inaccurate, unsupported statements.
Anaïs Berthier, Head of Brussels at ClientEarth, criticised the report’s focus on the chemical industry’s role in the EU economy without adequate acknowledgement of its negative impacts on health and the environment. She argued that the report emphasises regulatory constraints on the sector’s competitiveness, including criticisms of bans on substances like PFAS, without explaining the reasons behind these bans. Berthier noted that the market is already transitioning towards PFAS-free business models with investor support.
The NGOs also took issue with the report’s underlying assumptions, which they say pit environmental concerns against competitiveness and assume that promoting competitiveness will inherently improve wellbeing. They argue that the report overlooks the EU economy’s dependence on thriving natural ecosystems and ignores the severe threats posed by biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse.
While the NGOs acknowledged that the report makes some valid points about the root causes of the EU’s competitive gap, particularly the bloc’s heavy dependence on fossil gas imports, they criticised its emphasis on unproven decarbonisation solutions. These include new nuclear technologies, hydrogen, and carbon capture, utilisation, and storage. The NGOs also noted the report’s lack of focus on meaningful demand reduction.
Furthermore, the NGOs expressed concern over the report’s suggestion to “simplify” the EU acquis and accelerate permitting processes, which they argue could undermine environmental law. They stressed that a fast and effective energy transition cannot come at the expense of the planet it aims to protect.
The Environment Council will discuss the Draghi report today, with these criticisms and concerns likely to be a significant part of the debate. The outcome of this meeting will shape the EU’s approach to competitiveness and environmental regulation in the coming years.
