(Brussels/11.11.2022) The European Commission has presented its work program for 2023. The 43 new initiatives are supposed to set the pace for EU policy in the coming years. Particularly noticeable for the new work program are various delays of important legislative projects of the European Green Deal, which are not brought forward or were brought forward too late so that they can no longer be dealt with in this legislative period. Thus, the new work program of the Commission chaired by Ursula von der Leyen leaves a legacy of thwarted ambitions.

The MEP of the Ecological Democratic Party (ÖDP), Manuela Ripa, comments on the new work program: “I welcome the fact that the European Commission intends to fulfill its commitment to present a legislative proposal to protect our soils next year. This will allow our soils, which are the basic prerequisite for our food supply and the basis of our ecosystems, to be protected by EU legislation in the same way as water and air are. The European Parliament had long pushed for such binding requirements. However, it is unacceptable that the overdue revision of the European chemicals regulation REACH is postponed until the last quarter of 2023. This makes it impossible for such a complex reform to be completed before the upcoming European elections in May 2024. The status of other important legislative proposals to protect human health and the environment is also unclear, as they are no longer on the Commission’s agenda for next year – these include, for example, the mercury and cosmetics regulations.”

The EU Commission has also postponed the proposal for a right to repair. This means that the adoption of this legislature is also questionable. Ripa notes: “By delaying this law, a key element of the circular economy is not being implemented.”

How serious the Commission remains about implementing the Green Deal will only become clear when the legislation is released next year. “People are demanding bold policies to accelerate the shift towards a clean, resilient, and toxin-free future. When the EU prioritizes profits over people and the environment, it risks losing the trust of citizens,” the MEP concludes.”