A miscommunication arose after a European Commission spokesman suggested the Commission was intending to abandon the Green Claims Directive on 20 June 2025, one day before the interinstitutional negotiations between the Council and the Parliament.

The announcement followed the parliamentary lawmakers’ centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) letter to the Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall, where they requested the Commission to withdraw the directive.

Such a timeline gave the impression that the EPP-dominated Commission (Ursula von der Leyen hails from the centre-right political family) gave in to the demands from its allies in the Parliament.

Without the EPP’s support, the largest group in the Parliament, the legislative file would not gain enough support; furthermore, the rightist parties have been siding with the EPP to pass deregulatory legislation. This effectively reduces the chances of the directive being passed without caving in to the right-leaning parties’ demands.

Following the news, Italy retracted its support for the Green Claims Directive. This means that the file no longer has a majority of support among EU Member States and the text cannot move through the trilogues, now cancelled, originally scheduled for 23 June 2025. The Polish Presidency of the European Council has already hit the pause button on the negotiations to finalise the law; however, the talks could likely be rescheduled and picked up by the Danish Presidency, effective from 1 July 2025.

The text could still make a comeback, but in a revised form, provided that micro-enterprises are exempt from its scope, as the Commission aims to slash red tape in line with commitments under the Better Regulation Agenda and the Competitiveness Compass. The intention is to put the brakes now rather than later to avoid a situation where the text will need further revision through simplification omnibuses (as is currently the case with the sustainability reporting rules and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism). This was confirmed by the Commission on 22 June 2025.

Already on 23 June 2025, the Parliament’s representatives said they supported the Commission’s suggestion and urged EU countries to come back to the negotiating table.

In the event that the Commission decides to withdraw the directive, it would need to be approved by the College of Commissioners. The next weekly meeting is scheduled for 25 June 2025.

Veyt’s assessment suggests that the Green Claims Directive is not off the table – the Commission is likely to introduce amendments to the proposed text, after which the trilogues might resume. Albeit the timeline is not clear, the file has been moving through the legislative process since 2023.