Press release

EU’s Better Regulation  update fails to put science and people back at the heart of lawmaking 

28 April 2026

ClientEarth legal experts have warned that the European Commission’s Communication on Better Regulation so far fails to protect Europeans from unscientific and possibly harmful decisions, calling it a ‘missed opportunity’ to restore legal certainty, transparency and democratic safeguards in EU lawmaking, following months of rushed deregulation. 

The Communication published today announces changes to the Better Regulation Guidelines — the Commission’s internal rulebook for preparing new laws — meant to ensure EU laws are prepared in a transparent and evidence-based way, rather than adopted without adequate scrutiny.  

Lawyers welcomed the Communication’s renewed commitment to accelerate enforcement, assess the impacts of its laws and consult the public before decisions are made — following pressure from civil society, the European Council, and the Ombudswoman.  

But they warned that broad and unclear exemptions to the rule, based on “urgency”, keep the door open to undermining democratic safeguards.  

In practice, this could allow the Commission to continue bypassing its own standards — and people’s right to be heard — whenever it labels a situation urgent, pushing through further policy changes without proper impact assessments or public consultation, as seen with the Omnibus packages. 

ClientEarth lawyer Sebastian Bechtel said: 
“Commissioner Dombrovskis committed in front of the European Parliament to address the Ombudsman recommendation but reading the Communication, we are very concerned the Commission may be giving with one hand and taking away with the other, under the pretext of ‘urgency’. 

“The definition of ‘urgency’ is far too broad and vague, leaving the door open to the kind of ‘unpredictable, inconsistent and arbitrary’ exemptions from impact assessments that the Ombudswoman has criticised. The same risk applies to new carve-outs from public consultations – which is also undermining people’s right to have a say in decisions that affect their life.” 

The Communication comes after criticism from the European Ombudswoman, following a series of complaints by ClientEarth, which found that impact assessments, climate consistency checks and public consultations had not been properly carried out in recent high-profile files, including revisions of the Common Agricultural Policy and corporate sustainability legislation under the so-called Omnibus I package. 

It also follows months of accelerated deregulation and a series of “Omnibus packages” pushed through a rushed process, which findings from Corporate Europe Observatory suggest increase the risk of corporate influence in EU policymaking.  

Lawyers also regret that the Commission has commited to several new omnibus proposals. 

Bechtel added: 

“At a time of geopolitical tension and mounting pressure on Europe, democracy is not a liability — it is Europe’s competitive advantage. It gives EU laws credibility, protects citizens from arbitrary decisions that go against their rights, and ensures the transition to a sustainable economy is fair, resilient and built to last. The Commission must not rely on legal loopholes but make a genuine commitment to science-based decision-making grounded in the  public’s interest.” 

The Commission will now translate the overarching commitments in the Communication into concrete changes in the Better Regulation guidelines. 

ENDS

Notes to editors:

  • About the EU Ombudswoman decision: 

    In November 2025, the EU Ombudswoman found that the EU Commission’ handling of Omnibus I on corporate sustainability rules and the 2024 “simplification” of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) violated fundamental principles of good administration, including transparent, inclusive, and evidence-based law making. 

    The decision follows two complaints from ClientEarth and partner organisations who raised alarm over the Commission’s undemocratic and opaque processes that prioritized corporate interests over public and environmental welfare. 

    In February 2026, the Commission responded to the EU Ombudswoman, admitting transparency failures but refusing to fix flawed lawmaking.  

    The EU Ombudswoman is expected to publish its final decision in the next weeks. 

    On the Commission’s further Omnibus proposals which were prepared using the same flawed processes: 

    In July 2025, ClientEarth and partner NGOs sent a letter to the Commission asking it to withdraw the Chemicals Omnibus . 

    In January 2026, a legal opinion prepared for ClientEarth and partner organisations raised serious doubts as to the legality of the Food and Feed Omnibus . 

    In February 2026, ClientEarth published a legal analysis of the Environmental Omnibus pointing to many procedural and substantive shortcomings. 

    About the Better regulation guidelines: 

    Read ClientEarth’s response to the Better Regulation call for evidence; 

    In March 2026, the European Council called on the Commission to “ensure that new EU initiatives […] are accompanied by high-quality impact assessments”. 

About ClientEarth

ClientEarth works in over 60 countries across Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe. We shape, implement and enforce the law, to build a future for our planet in which people and nature can thrive. 

We are tackling climate change, protecting nature and stopping pollution, with partners and citizens around the globe. We hold industry and governments to account and defend everyone’s right to a healthy world.