Commenting on today’s publication of the Environmental Omnibus and of the Grids package, BusinessEurope Director General Markus J. Beyrer, said: “The two initiatives have one thing in common: reaching the EU’s sustainability ambitions with simpler rules and faster processes. We are pleased to see that speeding up permitting procedures is central in both proposals, as it is essential to restore Europe’s competitiveness and mobilise the massive investments needed for the green transition.
“On the Environmental Omnibus, the simplification of the Industrial Emissions Directive and proposals to speed-up environmental assessments are welcome steps to cut unnecessary burdens and accelerate the modernisation of industry. The planned work on the Water Framework Directive is also important, because its current application often leads to industrial permits being rejected.
On the Grids package, it is positive to see grids being recognised as a matter of overriding public interest given their critical role in the energy transition. As permitting now represents more than half of the total implementation time for energy infrastructure projects, the measures announced today can help to unlock their deployment and contribute to a more harmonised and predictable permitting framework across the EU.
BusinessEurope will further assess the two initiatives and provide additional comments going forward.”
