On 4 November 2026, the European Commission published its work programme for 2027, thereby announcing its intention to withdraw its proposal for the so-called “Green Claims” Directive.
The announcement of the withdrawal
Annex III of the document lists the legislative proposals that the Commission wishes to withdraw. These include the 2023 proposal for a directive on the substantiation and communication of explicit environmental claims (the “Green Claims” Directive).
The reasons given are as follows:
“The file has been pending with co-legislators more than three years. The Council failed to agree on a negotiating mandate in June 2024. Attemps by the Council presidency in 2025 to advance discussions did not succeed and the file is unlikely to secure support in the Council within a reasonable timeframe.”
Reminder
The aims of this text were to:
• provide a framework for the use of environmental claims and environmental labels,
• combat greenwashing,
• set out specific rules on the substantiation of environmental claims used by businesses.
One of the main objectives of the “Green Claims” Directive was to establish a system for the prior validation of environmental claims by an external verifier (an independent third-party body). It also addressed the requirements to be put in place for an environmental label.
The rules governing environmental claims
This withdrawal comes as no surprise and had been …
