The European Union’s Ombudswoman has accused the European Commission of bypassing its own standards for transparent, evidence-based lawmaking when advancing recent proposals on sustainability reporting, agriculture and migrant smuggling.
Teresa Anjinho, who oversees complaints against EU institutions, said that the Commission had failed to adequately justify the urgency behind the measures. Her findings follow an inquiry triggered by a complaint lodged in April by climate and human rights groups.
“Taken together the shortcomings amounted to maladministration,” Anjinho said. “Certain principles of good lawmaking cannot be compromised even for the sake of urgency.”
The Commission responded that it would examine the Ombudswoman’s recommendations, but insisted it had compiled sufficient evidence on the issues and that its decision-making process included stakeholder consultations.
The complaint, filed by eight organisations, alleged that the Commission had sought to dilute sustainability requirements following private discussions with industry lobbyists — and did so without public consultation or an impact assessment.
In a joint statement on Thursday, the groups said any final political agreement must be grounded in evidence and aligned with the EU’s climate commitments. “If this cannot be secured, the Commission should withdraw its proposal,” they said.
