BirdLife Warns New EU Proposals Threaten Decades of Environmental Protection
Europe's major conservation groups say the Commission's new Environmental Omnibus and Grids Package dismantle long-established safeguards for nature, water and public health.
Conservation groups raise alarm over regulatory rollbacks
BirdLife International and partner organisations have issued a stark warning following the publication of the European Commission's new Environmental Omnibus and Grids Package. The proposals, which include a Renewable Acceleration Directive, are described by conservationists as the most serious weakening of EU environmental protections in a generation, risking air and water quality, public health and biodiversity in the name of competitiveness.
The organisations say the measures form part of a broader pattern of deregulation, from attempts to dilute the EU Deforestation Regulation to weakening safeguards on chemicals and pesticides. They argue that the cumulative effect is a deliberate unravelling of laws designed to limit pollution, conserve ecosystems and uphold democratic accountability.
Warnings from citizens and experts ignored
A joint press release highlights significant concerns about the legitimacy of the process. Nearly 200,000 citizens responded to the call for evidence on the environmental omnibus, yet their input was largely disregarded. The EU Ombudswoman has already found maladministration in the 2024 reforms to the Common Agricultural Policy, adding to fears that public consultation and democratic scrutiny are being side-stepped.
Critics argue that the Commission has presented the proposals as cost-saving, without providing an impact assessment or acknowledging the far higher price of weakened environmental laws. Europe already bears an estimated €180 billion each year in health and environmental damage due to poor implementation and enforcement of existing legislation.
Risks to air, water and biodiversity
BirdLife International warns that the Environmental Omnibus threatens to increase industrial and chemical pollution by undermining key elements of the Industrial Emissions Directive and removing the SCIP chemical database, which supports the EU's circular economy ambitions. These changes would allow pollution to persist longer, increasing human exposure to hazardous substances.
Water protection is also under threat. A review of the Water Framework Directive, described by the Commission as streamlining, is seen by conservation groups as a significant weakening of one of Europe's most important environmental laws. With freshwater ecosystems already in a critical state, any dilution of standards risks further degradation and greater vulnerability to climate-related disasters.
Proposals to launch a “stress test” of the Birds and Habitats Directives have also alarmed conservationists, who say these laws are fundamental to protecting Europe's wildlife. They warn that revisiting them now, during an unfolding biodiversity crisis, could accelerate species decline and undermine decades of progress.
Human health implications
Alongside threats to nature, the organisations stress the consequences for public health. Weaker regulations are expected to lead to higher levels of toxic chemical exposure, worsening air and water quality, and increasing long-term health risks such as respiratory disease and cancer. BirdLife argues that the proposals prioritise short-term industrial interests over the wellbeing and rights of European citizens.
They emphasise that environmental protections are not merely ecological measures, but form the foundation of clean air, safe water and healthy communities across the continent.
Concerns over the Grids Package
The new EU Grids Package is also drawing criticism for creating legal uncertainty and sidelining environmental safeguards in the approval of renewable-energy projects. Conservationists warn that rather than speeding up the renewable transition, the package introduces unclear rules that could lead to poorly planned developments, increasing conflict with wildlife and reducing public trust.
Rigid permitting requirements, they argue, would reduce Member State flexibility and override national priorities such as environmental protection and urban planning. Allowing more energy infrastructure to bypass environmental assessments could place Natura 2000 sites, free-flowing rivers and other sensitive habitats at heightened risk.
‘A devastating blow to Europe's nature laws'
Senior voices across the environmental sector have expressed deep concern. BirdLife Europe stresses that the Birds and Habitats Directives are the backbone of conservation in the EU, and that weakening them now would leave ecosystems and communities dangerously exposed. Other organisations highlight the threat to the rule of law, warning that the Commission's approach disregards evidence, procedural safeguards and the rights of citizens.
They say that implementing the proposals in their current form will inevitably lead to further habitat loss, species decline and potentially even extinctions, at a time when many populations are already in a fragile state.
A call to defend Europe's environmental legacy
BirdLife International and partner organisations are urging the European Parliament and Member States to reject the omnibus and halt what they describe as a wave of deregulation that would reverse decades of environmental progress. The future of Europe's nature, public health and democratic accountability, they argue, depends on maintaining and strengthening – not dismantling – the laws designed to protect them.
December 2025
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