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Euractiv
3 days ago
- Politics
- Euractiv
Meta to stop running political ads on Facebook and Instagram
Social media giant Meta announced today that it will stop running political, electoral or social issue advertising in the EU from October, instead of complying with the bloc's transparency rules for political advertising. EU-wide rules on the transparency of political advertising come into effect from October, with the aim of curbing information manipulation and foreign interference during elections, according to a Council announcement on the agreement last year. The regulation obliges online publishers of political advertisements to disclose whether an ad is paid for by a political actor to make it easier for citizens to recognise political marketing. It also requires disclosure of whether the ad was targeted using personal data. Meta is sidestepping all these requirements, per its announcement today, as the company says it will no longer allow political, electoral or social issue ads in the EU. It defines these types of ads in its terms and conditions for different territories. Meta said the change would also apply in other "European territories", including the UK. The company is blaming its decision to end political ads on the EU's Regulation – claiming it's too restrictive and burdensome for advertisers. "Unfortunately, the TTPA [the political ads transparency regulation] introduces significant additional obligations to our processes and systems that create an untenable level of complexity and legal uncertainty for advertisers and platforms operating in the EU," Meta wrote. It said the move won't change any of its other policies for people in the EU as regards debating politics. Nor will it stop politicians from posting content on its social networks. However political actors would not be able to pay Meta to amplify such content. Responding to Meta's announcement, liberal lawmaker Sandro Gozi, the rapporteur for the EU's regulation on political advertising, said it "confirms a deep allergy to transparency, data protection and democratic accountability." "They [Meta] pretend to fight disinformation, but in reality they are making money from it," he added. Last year, Google also announced that it would stop serving political ads in the EU before the regulation came into effect. It blamed the law for having an overly broad definition of "political advertisement" for it to be able to comply, hence choosing to stop running such ads across the bloc. But one question both companies' actions raises is how effective their own – typically automated – ad review systems are at detecting political, electoral or social issue ads and stopping them from being distributed. Any political ads that do slip through would automatically breach the EU's transparency rules given their ad systems do not provide these disclosures. In Meta's case, this is not the first time it's blamed EU laws for forcing it to change its ad behaviour: the tech giant is currently facing Digital Markets Act enforcement over its pay-or-consent advertising model. (nl)
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
EU green claims law shelved amid political backlash
The European Commission has announced its intention to withdraw the Green Claims Directive proposal, a key element of the EU's efforts to regulate greenwashing. The move follows pressure from the European People's Party (EPP), which deemed the draft law too complex and burdensome, especially for small companies. Negotiations have been paused and the final trilogue session cancelled ahead of the planned meeting on 23 June 2025. The EPP, the largest group in the European Parliament, raised concerns in a letter dated 18 June 2025. Shadow rapporteurs warned that mandatory third‑party verification for environmental claims—known as 'ex‑ante' checks—could hamper companies' competitiveness and add excessive administrative cost. The Commission echoed this reasoning, highlighting that extending the scope to around 30 million micro‑enterprises would undermine its simplification agenda. The trilogue scheduled for 23 June 2025 was called off by the Council in response to the Commission's announcement. Though the Commission has yet to provide a formal justification, EU law requires both Parliament and Council support before a fully adopted draft law can be withdrawn. Rapporteurs Sandro Gozi and Tiemo Wölken have said they remain ready to resume talks if the disputed amendment affecting micro‑businesses is dropped. Despite headlines suggesting the EU is scrapping its anti‑greenwashing efforts, existing rules remain in place. The Unfair Commercial Practices Directive continues to support enforcement against misleading environmental claims. Furthermore, the Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive, adopted in February 2024, is unaffected by the withdrawal. It will take effect on 27 September 2026 and explicitly prohibits vague or unsupported eco‑claims. Other related regulations such as the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation and the Right to Repair Directive also continue to operate. Environmental NGOs including ECOS, ClientEarth and the European Environmental Bureau have criticised the decision and urged policymakers to respect EU legislative procedures. They highlighted that up to 76 % of products in the EU carry explicit or implicit green claims, with over half being misleading. The Commission has left open the possibility of reconsidering the directive if the Council retracts the micro‑enterprises amendment. As the ESG policy landscape evolves, stakeholders will be watching whether the EU moves forward with a revised Green Claims Directive or strengthens its existing frameworks. "EU green claims law shelved amid political backlash" was originally created and published by Packaging Gateway, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
Euronews
26-06-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Will anti-greenwashing directive survive EU institutions' tug-of-war?
Last week, the European Commission announced plans to remove one of the key proposals from the European Green Deal. The directive aims to combat greenwashing by regulating the use of terms such as "eco-responsible" or "natural" by an independent body. "The proposal on green claims aims to ensure better consumer protection and guarantee the competitiveness of European businesses," Sandro Gozi, a French MEP (Renew Europe), told Euronews. "We want to justify a claim that this product is very green, this product is very sustainable. That's fine, but if you say that, if you go to market saying that, you have to follow a procedure that allows us to make sure that what is being said is true", he added. The controversy erupted following the Commission's repeated backtracking on environmental policies. Peter Liese, a German centre-right MEP, confirms that the EPP wants the text withdrawn. "The EPP thinks it is good that the Commission is withdrawing this legislation, because it comes from the old days, when the Commission thought we couldn't have enough environmental legislation," Liese told Euronews. "And we have seen that businesses, particularly SMEs, are overburdened with so many complexities." Social Democrat, Green, and Liberal MEPs, for their part, are criticising the EPP conservatives for aligning with the hard and far right, and are threatening to cut ties with the group. "If it is confirmed that the European Commission is withdrawing this proposal for the sole reason that it is giving in to a majority constructed by the conservatives with far-right groups, this is the moment when von der Leyen loses the support of her own majority, the liberals, the social democrats, the greens and her own EPP group", René Repasi, a German social democrat MEP (S&D), told Euronews. The European Commission could return to the negotiating table if the agreement does not apply to micro-enterprises. "I hope there is room for agreement between the three institutions," said Teresa Ribera, European Commission Vice-President for a clean, fair and competitive transition. "The message coming from the Commission was that this was such a relevant change in the discussion that the Commission could consider withdrawing the directive", she concluded.
Fibre2Fashion
23-06-2025
- Business
- Fibre2Fashion
European Commission plans to scrap EU anti-greenwashing draft law
The European Commission plans to scrap its draft law on combatting corporate greenwashing due to opposition from the European People's Party (EPP), a European political party with Christian democratic, liberal-conservative and conservative member parties. Commission spokesperson Maciej Berestecki recently confirmed the withdrawal of the proposal on environmental claims without offering details. The European Commission plans to scrap its draft law on combating corporate greenwashing due to opposition from the European People's Party. The March 2023 Green Claims Directive aims at stopping firms from misleading consumers with unfounded claims that their products and services are good for the planet. European Democratic Party secretary general Sandro Gozi termed the decision 'shameful'. Proposed in March 2023, the Green Claims Directive aims at stopping companies from misleading consumers with unfounded claims that their products and services are good for the planet. It also sought to limit the proliferation of green labels. The decision implies the European Union (EU) will not ask companies to provide verified information to back up their green claims. However, during negotiations between member states and the European Parliament, EPP expressed its desire to discard the entire directive. In a letter to EU environment commissioner Jessika Roswall, EPP argued that existing directives on unfair consumer practices already cover these issues, and that this initiative would result in excessively complex and costly procedures for businesses. It was particularly concerned about the proposal requiring independent third-party verification of environmental claims and labels before publication, according to European media reports. "It is unacceptable that the European People's Party, in tandem with the far-right, is trying to scupper the greenwashing directive, which is a key piece of legislation designed to protect European citizens from corporate environmental fraud," Sandro Gozi, secretary general of the European Democratic Party, member of European Parliament for Renew Europe and rapporteur for the 'green claims' directive, said. He insisted that the Commission should guarantee the interests of the Union and not become the 'political executor' of the EPP and the European far right. "It would be a betrayal of the European mandate and bend the Commission to partisan logic, which would undermine its legitimacy and the trust of citizens," he noted, adding that he expects environment commissioner Jessika Roswall to clarify the reasons for this 'shameful' decision. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
Euronews
20-06-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Commission to withdraw greenwashing proposal in new blow to Green Deal
The European Commission intends to withdraw a proposal aimed at combating so-called "greenwashing" by ensuring companies' environmental claims are accurate, substantiated and independently verified, an EU executive spokesperson told reporters today. The proposal on Green Claims was initially presented in March 2023 as part of the broader European Green Deal legislative framework. This move marks the latest in a series of rollbacks of major Green Deal initiatives, after so-called "Omnibus" papers intended to simplify EU legislation effectively narrowed the scope of measures such as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. The announcement on the Green Claims Directive came ahead of a final meeting between the Polish EU Council presidency and MEPs scheduled next Monday, which was expected to give the proposal the green light ahead of formal adoption. Its withdrawal at this late stage has taken many by surprise, including the negotiators. When questioned by reporters, Commission officials declined to provide detailed reasons for the decision, saying only that more information would follow. According to parliamentary sources close to the file, chief negotiators socialist MEP Delara Burkhardt and liberal MEP Sandro Gozi still intended to proceed with the trilogue negotiations on Monday, noting that the talks were nearing a successful conclusion. 'It is unacceptable that the Commission blatantly interferes with the progress made by co-legislators on this file,' a member of the Parliament's negotiating team told Euronews, expressing frustration at what they see as a unilateral and premature move. Likewise, Poland's presidency of the EU Council 'is ready to enter constructively into the trilogue and go ahead as planned until there is a clear decision from the Commission [on the withdrawal],' a Polish spokesperson tol Euronews. It remains unclear whether the decision to withdraw the proposal has been formally adopted by the Commission's College, the weekly meeting of the 26 Commissioners and EU President Ursula von der Leyen. Beyond the immediate legislative impact, the move raises broader questions about the Commission's authority to retract its own proposals. While EU treaties do not explicitly grant this power, a 2015 ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union affirmed that the Commission may withdraw proposals as part of its right of initiative. However, the Court also made clear that this power is limited and subject to both substantive and procedural constraints. The ruling emphasised that withdrawal should only occur in justified cases, such as institutional deadlock or the proposal becoming obsolete. Neither condition appears to apply in the case of the Green Claims Directive, prompting concerns that the Commission could be overstepping its role and upsetting the institutional balance by exercising a de facto veto over the legislative process.
