Archive

Year: 2020

  • The EU’s chemicals strategy for sustainability

    November 3, 2020

    The EU’s chemicals strategy for sustainability towards a toxic-free environment presented by the European Commission on 14 October 2020 is a flagship initiative under the European Green Deal. It sets out a response to today’s chemicals management challenges which is as groundbreaking as the introduction of the REACH and CLP Regulations was more than a decade ago. The Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability aims to simplify and strengthen the regulatory framework on chemicals to further increase the...

  • What’s going to be in the Better Regulation Communication?

    October 26, 2020

    The Ursula von der Leyen Commission will soon set out how it intends to improve on the EU's Better Regulation agenda. The Communication on Better Regulation led by Maroš Šefčovič, the Commissioner for Interinstitutional Relations, is now scheduled to be adopted on 24 November by the College of Commissioners. Here are a few things to watch out for next month as Mr Šefčovič presents the Communication: How will the ‘one-in, one out’ principle work? As...

  • The EU Sustainable Product Policy Initiative

    October 19, 2020

    The EU is set to fundamentally revamp EU product policy as a part of the EU Green Deal and the new Circular Economy Action Plan in the forthcoming Sustainable Product Policy Initiative. With the Sustainable Product Policy Initiative, the European Commission wants 'green products to become the norm'. It recently launched a consultation on the Initiative's roadmap. The aim is to publish a legislative proposal in the fourth quarter of 2021. The FleishmanHillard EU Roundtable...

  • Safety as a goal: five principles of public policy responses to risks

    September 21, 2020

    Whether responding to a global pandemic or hazardous chemicals, the fundamental policy goal is essentially the same: maximise safety/minimise risks. This policy goal may sound simple, but it is far from straightforward how to maximise safety. Something the wide array of different policies around the world in response to Covid-19 have shown. So, here are a few principles which I have found to help my understanding of public policy responses to risks from working with...

  • Introducing: Mette Analysis | September 2020

    September 4, 2020

    A warm welcome to the inaugural Mette Analysis. As European policymakers return from the summer break, our General Manager, Mette Grolleman, looks ahead at the challenges which the EU faces for the remainder of 2020 and the beginning of 2021. The resignation of the Irish European commissioner Phil Hogan ,also know as 'Big Phil', may have a significant impact on the way the EU conducts negotiations in the future.   Furthermore, there are concerns regarding the...

  • #RightByHer Campaign: Supporting Women’s Rights in Africa

    August 18, 2020

    Earlier this year, the German NGO Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevölkerung (DSW) approached our Brussels office for a new video project. After the #TrumpetHealth video campaign, they wanted us to help raise awareness on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) issues for women in Africa. In other words, DSW wanted to convince EU legislators to insist on strong SRHR language and provisions in the EU-Africa partnership that we expect to see renewed and strengthened later this...

  • FleishmanHillard Brussels launches FH2050 climate and sustainability practice

    June 30, 2020

    With the launch of its FH2050 climate and sustainability practice, FleishmanHillard Brussels strengthens its offer in the sustainability space. This will help organisations navigate, communicate and engage with the green recovery. Climate change and sustainability have long been significant drivers of European public policy. Now for the first time, the Sustainable Development Goals are mainstreamed into EU policies and initiatives. The COVID-19 crisis has only served to catalyse Europe’s ambition, and focus minds on the...

  • How can the European Union better support consumer choice and promote more sustainable products?

    June 17, 2020

    The new Circular Economy Action Plan launched under the European Green Deal aims to transform production and consumption. This means changing the way consumer products for the EU market are made and offering consumers more sustainable choices. There are already measures that support more sustainable products in the EU. Yet, a comprehensive set of requirements is missing to effectively transition to more sustainable product design and manufacturing. To close this gap, the European Commission will...

  • How can the EU promote reuse in the Circular Economy?

    June 11, 2020

    The most efficient way to limit the impact of waste on the environment, is to prevent it. After prevention, the second best option, saving energy and resources is the reuse of products. Expanding reuse practices is critical to unlocking the EU’s circular economy ambitions set out in the European Green Deal and the new Circular Economy Action Plan. Despite the political momentum behind the circular economy agenda, reuse rates remain very low in the EU...

  • How can we reduce and track Substances of Very High Concern in the circular economy?

    June 5, 2020

    Over the coming years, it is one of the Commission's main goals to transition the EU, its consumers, manufacturing and products, to a circular economy. This goal has been laid out clearly in the New Circular Economy Action Plan. When it comes to the safety of products and materials, there is still a lot to be done, before we can rely on safe material cycles to provide feedstock for all our products. Especially how Substances...