A key aspect of the Environmental Omnibus is the streamlining of environmental assessments. In principle, this covers all procedures under the Water Framework Directive, the Birds Directive and the Habitats Directive, as well as Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Whilst AK welcomes certain aspects of the proposal – such as the planned establishment of digital databases and single points of contact, as well as the consolidation of procedures – it regards other proposals as problematic. For instance, very short approval deadlines are proposed: the projected deadline for EIA approval decisions is just 90 days after submission, which is a very short timeframe given the complexity of these procedures. The proposed SEA publication period is just 30 to 60 days. This could weaken public participation and heighten scepticism towards projects, including those to expand renewable energy. Furthermore, the draft provides for exemptions from the ban on killing protected animal and bird species. Negotiations on speeding up environmental assessments are ongoing. On 30 September, the Council backed the proposal with numerous amendments (including longer deadlines and full compliance with the Aarhus Convention). The EU Parliament must now adopt a position.
 

Abolishing SCIP and weakening extended producer responsibility
 

The proposal also provides for the abolition of the SCIP-Database (Database for information on substances of concern in articles as such or in complex objects/products). AK takes a critical view of this point, as no alternative has yet been put in place. It finds particularly problematic the proposal to suspend until 2035 the requirement under several waste laws to appoint an authorised representative for extended producer responsibility (EPR). EPR holds producers of certain products – including electrical appliances, batteries and packaging – financially and organisationally responsible for collecting, recycling and disposing of their products. Negotiations on this proposal are currently underway. The Council and the EU Parliament differ on the scope of the proposed changes. On 20 October 2026, the European Parliament voted to suspend the obligation of small businesses to appoint an representatives for waste legislation. Specifically, companies based in the EU with fewer than 50 employees and an annual turnover of no more than ten million would no longer be required to appoint representatives in other Member States. However, the change covers producers in every product category previously required to appoint a representative: packaging, batteries, textiles, footwear, electrical appliances and single-use plastics. The Council’s position of 21 October is less far-reaching. EPR is to be reformed under the EU Packaging Regulation. Only EU-based manufacturers of packaging or packaged products should qualify for exemption from appointing an authorised representative in another Member State, provided they place less than one metric tonne of packaging annually on that Member State’s market. A comprehensive solution for EPR is to be agreed as part of the forthcoming Circular Economy Act.
 

Simplified industrial emission standards for industry and agriculture
 

Companies covered by the Directive on Industrial Emissions are to be granted greater flexibility in implementing environmental management systems. Farmers and aquaculture operators will be exempt from certain reporting obligations. AK considers it problematic that the environmental management system no longer needs to include an inventory of the chemicals used or emitted. The plan to remove the requirement for plant operators to submit transformation plans, due to become mandatory in 2030, must be rejected. AK also opposes various exemptions. For example, the proposal would exempt sow-breeding and organic poultry farms from industrial emission thresholds. Livestock and aquaculture facilities would no longer have to report pollutant discharges or water and energy consumption to the relevant authorities. The exemptions for large livestock buildings are also to be extended. The proposal to simplify the regulations on industrial emissions is currently under review. In June 2026, the Council backed the Commission’s proposals and made them a top priority.
 

Omnibuses pose a risk to people and the environment
 

Even apart from the substantive legislative changes, the Commission’s agenda raises serious concerns. According to the EU Ombudsman’s Office, inadequate consultation and impact assessments in drafting the proposals breach the Commission’s own Better Regulation Guidelines. While industry and business interests strongly influence decision-making, trade unions and civil society organisations are seldom consulted. Furthermore, the omnibus proposals are negotiated within the Council by a specially established committee, which makes it more difficult to coordinate with the relevant specialist departments. In the European Parliament, compromises between the pro-European groups are also becoming harder to reach.
 

If the environmental omnibus goes ahead as planned, negative consequences for environmental protection and compliance with climate targets are to be expected. However, even as the negotiations’ outcome and many provisions in the package remain uncertain, the Commission has already announced plans for further environmental deregulation. Key environmental laws are set to undergo so-called stress tests.
 

AK is clear: simplifying rules through the Omnibus packages must neither lower environmental or social standards nor put corporate interests first.  The Kettensäge stoppen! (Stop the Chainsaw) platform was therefore launched with other organisations to raise greater awareness in Austria of deregulation’s harmful effects and to campaign to preserve and strengthen protective rules for people and the environment. At the European level, AK is also involved in the Rules to Protect network, with a view to identifying alternatives to the Commission’s current approach.
 

Further information:
 

European Commission: Promoting sustainable growth with simpler and smarter environmental legislation
European Commission: Simplification of administrative burdens in environmental legislation
AK EUROPA: Simplification of administrative burdens in environmental legislation (Environment Omnibus)
AK EUROPA: A step further away from better regulation: open letter to the European Commission
AK EUROPA: Omnibus packages: Public interest under pressure
A&W-Blog: Kettensäge stoppen – Menschen und Umwelt schützen (German only)
Transparency International EU: By invitation only: Policy Capture and the EU Omnibus I