speech Commission EU

Commissioner Roswall's address at the exchange of views with the Environment Committee at the European Parliament

19 janvier 2026 Collecté le 18 mars 2026 Voir sur la Commission européenne

Source : Commission européenne — Communiqués de presse

Résumé

Résumé non disponible

Contenu du document

Ce document juridique est long (15,000 caractères). Consultez le texte complet sur la source officielle.

Voir sur la Commission européenne

Exchange of views with the Environment Committee at the European Parliament

This site uses cookies. Visit our cookies policy page or click the link in any footer for more information and to change your preferences.

Accept all cookies Accept only essential cookies

Select your language Close

EU official languages

bgбългарски

csčeština

dadansk

deDeutsch

elΕλληνικά

enEnglish

esespañol

eteesti

fisuomi

frfrançais

gaGaeilge

hrhrvatski

huMagyar

itItaliano

ltlietuvių kalba

lvlatviešu valoda

mtMalti

nlNederlands

plpolski

ptPortuguês

roromână

skslovenčina

slslovenščina

svsvenska

Search Search

... HomePress corner Exchange of views with the Environment Committee at the European Parliament

Available languages: English Speech Jan 19, 2026 Strasbourg 10 min read

Commissioner Roswall's address at the exchange of views with the Environment Committee at the European Parliament

"Check against delivery"

Dear Chair, Honourable Members,

Thank you for the opportunity to discuss two of the Commission's key priorities for this mandate.

First, on how to build a competitive, resilient and sustainable economy.

And second, how to make sure that our rules can be implemented in a clear, simple and efficient way.

Of course, as we all know, we are at the moment standing in a defining geopolitical juncture, shaped by enormous challenges.

And I know that this is not the topic for tonight, but it reinforces, for me, the need for a fundamental economic transformation in Europe.

Our environmental rules are central to these challenges, and that is why I'm so glad to have the opportunity to discuss the Bioeconomy Strategy and our work on simplification with you.

So, let me start by presenting the Bioeconomy Strategy, which is about turning innovation into European values and European jobs.

It is a blueprint for a living, circular and bio-based Europe.

Above all, it is about how the wise management of our resources can create new business opportunities.

And we have a lot of things that we can be proud of in Europe.

We have the resources, a strong industrial base, skilled workers and world-leading research, but we can also do so much more with this.

And in a world for smarter and cleaner ways to live, the bioeconomy uses renewable biological resources and bio-based technologies to tackle today's challenges in climate, nature and competitiveness.

So, what exactly do we propose? First, Europe must lead the biotech revolution, and that means scaling up innovation and investments.

Europe is full of ideas.

We know how to use micro-algae to produce food or cosmetics.

We can make edible packaging from vegetable waste, and we can even produce batteries with bacteria.

But we are slow in deployment.

And if we want Europe's startups to become scale-ups, we need a new approach that welcomes bio-solutions in Europe.

And that starts with a more agile legislative framework, and the strategy will help to remove barriers in the single market, simplify rules and speed up approvals so innovative companies can grow here at home.

We want to give technical support to SMEs to help them make the leap from innovation to growth, and we will set up test environments for bio-solutions, so-called regulatory sandboxes, to help them move from niche to normal.

We also need to harness existing and future EU funding to ensure that investment flows into bio-based technologies.

The second pillar, focusing on building strong lead markets.

We must nurture the bio-based sectors that create greatest benefits for our economy and for the environment.

And this means maximizing the potential of bio-based construction materials, chemicals, textiles, plastic, and fertilizers.

But also technologies such as bio-refineries and advanced fermentation.

We want to boost demand for these sustainable products and technologies, and to achieve this we will set targets for bio-based plastics.

We will set performance and durability requirements for textiles, and we will promote the inclusion of bio-based products in public procurement.

We are also setting up a Bio-Based Europe Alliance, gathering EU companies to collectively purchase bio-based solutions worth 10 billion euros by 2030.

The third pillar is about sustainability.

While boosting today's competitiveness, we need to build tomorrow's resilience.

And today, Europe is largely self-sufficient in biomass, and we have to make sure that that is the way that it stays.

Combining economic use with ecological care is not only possible, it is essential.

Without healthy ecosystems, there can be no bio-economy.

Circularity is a key. And that means that we have to do more innovative and imagine new circular business models.

Instead of being dumped as bio-waste, leftovers of biomass can fertilize our crops, feed our animals, or form the basis of biomaterials.

Old fabrics can insulate new buildings.

So this is not just about taking care of the environment, it's about making smart economic choices.

And this is why the upcoming Circular Economy Act will include measures to improve the collection of used biomass waste.

But the sustainability of our bio-economy starts with the custodians of our land, our forests and our seas, with Europe's farmers, foresters and fishers.

We will support their efforts.

For example, we will set up initiatives rewarding farmers and foresters who protect soils and enhance carbon sinks.

And we will stimulate demand for market mechanisms that reward those who care for nature through nature credits and an EU buyers club for carbon credits.

The fourth pillar promotes our vision around the world.

Biomass value chains are global, meaning Europe cannot act alone.

And we will support European industry in accessing global markets.

And we will secure partnerships that reduce our vulnerability along global value chains.

Our strategy is about resilience.

It's about ensuring that Europe is not dependent on a single region or a single resource.

Dear Chair, Honourable Members,

If we build it carefully, the bio-economy will boost European prosperity, sharpen our competitive edge, and reduce our reliance on vulnerable global supply chains and fossil-based import, including energy.

So here I hope we can work together to implement this strategy, and that would send a strong message that Europe's future is less fossil-dependent and more circular and more resilient.

Now let me turn to our simplification efforts.

I want to start briefly with presenting the Annual Progress Report on Simplification, Implementation and Enforcement.

The report provides an overview of our progress in simplifying, implementing and enforcing EU environmental law from January to July 2025.

This has helped identify major simplification opportunities, now reflected in the Environmental Omnibus and also in the upcoming Circular Economy Act.

Our simplification efforts have focused on practical impacts, streamlining reporting, more efficient permitting, reduced compliance burdens and simplified interoperability rules on geospatial data.

We are talking about smarter, more efficient and more effective regulation.

And I remain fully committed to enforcing our policies to protect nature, promote a circular economy and ensure water resilience.

And on all these aspects, we see important results based on collective actions.

Of course, things are not perfect, but we see progress in many areas.

Our continuous efforts to promote a circular economy have substantially reduced illegal or substandard landfills across the European Union.

Biodiversity protection has continued, and now less than 2% of Natura 2000 sites lack appropriate legal protection, down from over 50% in 2014.

And our work on water resilience has delivered.

By the end of 2025, we will significantly reduce non-compliance with EU wastewater standards, showing marked progress from previous years.

Air quality has greatly improved. Between 2014 and 2025 areas breaching in EU particulate matters rules have dropped from 120 to 35. And zones exceeding nitrogen dioxide limits have decreased from 96 to just 12.

And let's not forget the economics and the cost of non-action.

Implementation gaps are costly.

Every year, EU loses around 180 billion euros due to incomplete environmental implementation.

So better enforcement and the next MFF will be critical to close this gap.

And this is a shared effort, and I'm fully committed to working with you and other committees of the European Parliament to ensure a consistent and effective implementation of environmental law across the European Union.

Dear Chair, Honourable Members,

A large majority of our companies are directly dependent on at least one ecosystem service, like clean water.

But we need to be clear about the fact that some of our laws, including in the area of environment, are too complex, especially for smaller companies.

So the proposed environmental omnibus package is designed to fix this problem.

It is based on a wide range of stakeholder contributions.

Over the last year, I spoke with and listened to stakeholders, Member States, Members of the European Parliament and political groups.

I have discussed this with many of you here tonight, and I would like to sincerely also thank you for your input.

The call for evidence published last July received near to 200,000 responses- an astonishing number that highlights how important these issues are.

Many citizens and businesses emphasize the need to preserve Europe's high environmental standards.

We also have received concrete suggestions on how specific rules can be improved.

So first, we simplify circular economy-related legislations.

Under requirements for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), producers must currently designate an authorised representative when selling products outside their home country.

This imposes costs and hinders the seamless functioning of the internal market.

And we will lift this obligation and give producers more flexibility.

This will benefit the SMEs in particular.

We will also discontinue the SCIP database on hazardous substances in products.

It has not been effective in providing the needed information to recyclers, and it is causing substantial costs for producers.

Instead, its functions will progressively be fulfilled by the EU chemical legislations and the digital product passport.

Second, we simplify legislation on industrial emissions.

Farmers and aquaculture operators will be exempted from reporting on water, energy and materials under the industrial emissions reporting legislation.

In addition, Member States will be able to report more information on behalf of individual farmers to relieve their burden.

Under the Industrial Emissions Directive, we propose that the Environmental Management System, EMS, can be prepared at company level instead of installation level.

And we will simplify the EMS content.

And we remove the obligation to prepare an indicative transformation plan, since similar information is already provided under other legislation.

We also propose a series of targeted amendments to legislation on industrial emissions, packaging, batteries and waste shipments that clarify provisions, simplify reporting or ease permitting.

Third, we streamline environmental assessment to speed up permitting processes, while maintaining a high level of environmental protection.

We are also speeding up procedures to facilitate strategic projects like renewable energy and grids, net zero technologies and critical raw materials projects.

Environmental assessments are and will remain a vital tool, ensuring that environmental considerations are properly taken into account, but we need to ensure they are streamlined, effective and efficient.

So this package has the potential to reduce unnecessary red tape for businesses and public administration by around one billion euro per year, without lowering our green ambitions.

Yet simplification is not only about the omnibus.

The accompanying communication adopted on the 10th December explains how the Commission intends to address some of the suggestions from stakeholders that were not included in the omnibus.

Some suggestions can be addressed with guidance, other ideas need more analysis, or they feed into the preparation for new initiatives like the Circular Economy Act and the revision of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

The Commission has also a strategy in place to gradually stress test the entire body of EU law during the current mandate.

This will identify opportunities to erase duplications, address inconsistencies and simplify EU rules.

Let me finally give you a brief update on the Deforestation Regulation, following the changes that entered into force on 26 December.

Guaranteeing legal stability and predictability for economic operators is essential and is a big ask from businesses.

And here I would like to say thank you for the hard work from Christine and from many of you here that we finally made it.

Let me be clear: we do not favour another reopening of the EUDR. Many companies have invested and are ready to implement. They rely on a stable legal framework.

Of course, we are committed to make the 'April 2026 review clause' a success.

Now is the time to implement.

In addition to updating the guidance document and the Frequently Asked Questions as well as updating the Implementing Act on the IT system, we will also work on a new Delegated Act to incorporate these simplifications put on the table last year.

Honourable Members, I am deeply committed to our share of ambitions for the green transition.

It is a common sense, economic sense and also a strategic sense.

Businesses need a healthy environment and a society needs healthy businesses.

But we cannot ignore the fact that the world is changing rapidly and we need to adapt together.

Clearer, more straightforward rules mean greater clarity and also better implementation which can benefit the environment and our economy.

So I look forward to taking the omnibus forward with the Parliament and also with the Council.

Thank you.

Restez informé

Recevez les mises à jour réglementaires directement dans votre boîte mail.

Pas de spam. Uniquement des mises à jour pertinentes.