EU Ombudswoman Criticizes European Commission for Rushed Lawmaking

The EU's Ombudswoman has accused the European Commission of hasty lawmaking concerning sustainability reporting and other issues. The watchdog criticized the Commission for bypassing transparent and evidence-based procedures and has called for the withdrawal of proposals not aligned with EU climate goals.

The European Union's Ombudswoman has leveled critiques at the European Commission for rapidly proposing measures on sustainability reporting, agricultural practices, and migrant smuggling, bypassing its own protocols for transparent and evidence-based legislation. The criticism arose from findings based on an inquiry initiated by climate and human rights activists.

Ombudswoman Teresa Anjinho highlighted that these procedural violations constitute maladministration. 'Certain principles of good lawmaking cannot be compromised even for the sake of urgency,' she emphasized. Meanwhile, the European Commission has yet to address these allegations.

A group of eight organizations filed a complaint in April, accusing the Commission of potentially weakening sustainability regulations after undisclosed meetings with industry lobbyists, without proper public consultation or impact assessment. They insist that any political accord must be founded on evidence and align with EU climate goals. If these conditions are unmet, they urge the Commission to retract its proposals.