Press release: 11 July 2023

“Tragic” IED vote signals “genuinely alarming” state of EU politics – ClientEarth lawyer

Environmental lawyers ClientEarth have reacted with dismay after MEPs voted through a version of the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) that is both weak, and will likely fail to deliver any real protection for people from illegal pollution.

ClientEarth lawyer Bellinda Bartolucci said:

“The situation with EU lawmaking right now is genuinely alarming. We have two prerogatives right now: protect people and protect the planet they live on. Somehow, politics has become about neither.

“The law voted through today has actually worsened standards when it comes to pollution from factory farms. It has totally gutted the all-important compensation right, which should be the core of a law designed to protect people. And – predictably though still tragically – the IED will still impose absolutely no caps on climate-harming pollution.

“This law is all headlines and no content. On behalf of everyone who needs protection from illegal pollution, and their rights upheld, we’re bitterly disappointed.”

Bartolucci pointed for the urgent need for environmental legislation containing meaningful compensation rights to deliver in the voting process.

She said: “A compensation right with a genuine pathway for people to successfully go to court when their health has been harmed illegally is a vital part of EU democracy. We’re looking to lawmakers to bring this to life in all upcoming files where this mechanism is proposed.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:
About ClientEarth

ClientEarth is a non-profit organisation that uses the law to create systemic change that protects the Earth for – and with – its inhabitants. 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. From our offices in Europe, Asia and the USA we shape, implement and enforce the law, to build a future for our planet in which people and nature can thrive together.