BusinessEurope on ENVI vote on the revision of the Industrial Emissions Directive: Improvements are welcome, but significant challenges remain

24 May 2023 - Commenting on the European Parliament Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) vote on the revision of the Industrial Emissions Directive, BusinessEurope Director General Markus J. Beyrer said: "Improvements are welcome, but significant challenges remain".

"The revision of the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) must ensure a good protection of the environment while supporting competitive industries and minimising regulatory burden for companies. In several instances, the report adopted in ENVI committee improves the Commission's proposal. For instance, that MEPs refrained from imposing transformation plans at the level of each industrial site.

However, significant challenges remain such as the risk of delaying permits. Also, applying strict consumption levels of energy or water on industrial plants risks running against the objective of reducing emissions. The right to reverse the burden of proof should remain with the courts, on a case-by-case basis.

In view of the plenary vote, we call on MEPs to further improve the initial revision proposal so that the directive truly matches with the Green Deal Industrial Plan ambition."