About: REFIT
Nature laws saved by the people: An antidote to Europe’s crisis?
Environmental NGOs won a big campaign opposing the European Commission’s attempt to weaken the EU Nature Directives. This positive outcome may provide part of the answer to Europe's search for a new narrative, write Geneviève Pons and Andreas Baumüller.
EU decides against tinkering with flagship nature directives
After undergoing a much-criticised European Commission-helmed ‘fitness check’, the EU’s main nature directives have been ruled fit for purpose and will not be rewritten or weakened, in a huge win for environmentalists.The Brief: Is ‘better regulation’ getting better?
Is the European Commission’s 'better regulation' strategy getting, well, better? The REFIT program, where EU laws are called in for “fitness checks”, was touted as Brussels’ response to the accusation it was drowning Europe in red tape.
Commission research shows Nature Directives don’t need ‘better regulation’
EXCLUSIVE/ EU rules to protect birdlife and habitats – under threat from a review driven by the European Commission’s ‘better regulation’ strategy - are fit for purpose, according to leaked research that fuelled demands to leave the laws alone.
SMEs warn of ‘REACH leakage’ ahead of EU chemical review
A review of Europe’s REACH chemicals safety law, due in 2017, will look into the “cumulative costs” of the legislation on industry and small businesses in particular, according to a senior official at the European Commission.
Commission fails ‘Better Regulation’ test on Circular Economy Package
Better regulation, rather than providing better protection has served as an entry point for some business lobby groups to delay and weaken one of Europe’s major environmental policies, writes Magda Stoczkiewicz.
Chemicals ‘fitness check’ should improve EU legislation, not water it down
The scope of the European Commission’s Fitness Check on chemicals is limited to a comparison of the “hazard versus risk” approaches in chemicals legislation. This is misguided, writes Dolores Romano, who argues a hazard-based approach can help protect people and the environment while supporting innovation.
‘Better Regulation’: Why Timmermans should go beyond the Regulatory Scrutiny Board
The need for robust, impartial evidence in impact assessment is understood by all. However, since its mandatory introduction in 2002, three key issues remain to be addressed - impartiality of evidence gathering, governance and scrutiny, writes Stijn Hoorens.
NGOs fear ‘better regulation’ could hurt environment
More than 100 environmental NGOs said on Tuesday (12 May) that they feared the European Commission may use its better regulation programme to cut nature protection laws.![Luc Bas, Director of the Brussels office of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) [Photo: IUCN]](https://www.euractiv.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/06/luc_bas_iucn_brussels_photo.png)
The environment cannot be an afterthought to the economy
How do we communicate the need for fundamental change beyond this group of environmentalists, scientists and progressive businesses? asks Luc Bas.
Draft EU law on maternity leave to be scrapped as ‘red tape’
The European Commission could kill a stalled EU directive on maternity leave under the pretext of "good legislative management”, sending alarm bells ringing among women’s rights groups. VideoPromoted content