Concerns about the inadequate consultation process on the Omnibus Simplification Package

ClientEarth and a coalition of civil society organizations argue that the European Commission's 'Omnibus Simplification Package' is being developed through an opaque, non-inclusive process that violates EU democratic principles and the Commission's own Better Regulation Guidelines. The authors contend that the Commission is facilitating 'regulatory capture' by prioritizing private meetings with industry actors over broad public consultation, potentially undermining the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). They demand a comprehensive impact assessment and a public consultation involving all relevant stakeholders before any legislative proposal is presented.

• The European Commission intends to present the 'Omnibus Simplification Package' on 26 February 2025 without conducting a public consultation, which the authors claim deprives the public of democratic rights under EU Treaties.
• The authors allege the Commission is facilitating 'regulatory capture' by holding exclusive, invitation-only meetings on 5 and 6 February with a group heavily skewed toward industry, including 58 industry actors compared to only ten NGOs.
• The process is described as lacking transparency because the Commission bypassed the 'Have Your Say' portal and kept the meeting's purpose, participants, and agenda concealed from the public.
• The authors argue that the Omnibus proposal risks undermining the implementation of the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).
• The Commission has reportedly failed to conduct an impact assessment for the Omnibus proposal, despite the Better Regulation Guidelines requiring one for initiatives with significant economic, environmental, or social impacts.
• The authors highlight a contradiction in the Commission's haste, noting that a previous impact assessment for the CSDDD found that "no significant negative distortions are expected as regards the competitiveness of EU companies in global markets".

APA

ClientEarth (2025). Concerns about the inadequate consultation process on the Omnibus Simplification Package. https://www.clientearth.org/media/4sidva2u/20250131-letter-to-the-ec-omnibus-consultation-1.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. Concerns about the inadequate consultation process on the Omnibus Simplification Package. 2025. https://www.clientearth.org/media/4sidva2u/20250131-letter-to-the-ec-omnibus-consultation-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=ClientEarth |title=Concerns about the inadequate consultation process on the Omnibus Simplification Package |date=4 February 2025 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/4sidva2u/20250131-letter-to-the-ec-omnibus-consultation-1.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{clientearth2025concerns, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{Concerns about the inadequate consultation process on the Omnibus Simplification Package}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, year = {2025}, month = feb, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/4sidva2u/20250131-letter-to-the-ec-omnibus-consultation-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }