Von der Leyen’s economy chief has invited some of the bloc’s largest businesses and industry groups to key policy talks on 6 February, turbo-charging plans for a sweeping overhaul of sustainability-related rules, Euractiv has learned.

European and multinational heavyweights, particularly from the financial and energy sectors, are set to meet Economy Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis to flag which provisions they would like to see revised in the bloc’s ‘omnibus’ proposal, which is expected to be unveiled on 26 February.

The provisional agenda for the closed-door summit, seen by Euractiv, confirms that the EU’s supply-chain directive, sustainability reporting rules and green taxonomy framework will be the first to bear the brunt of the Commission’s plans to relax rules.

Meanwhile, it is the first time that the bloc’s carbon border adjustment mechanism has appeared on the institutional ‘simplification’ agenda – which, given that the item has been part of mounting industry efforts to renegotiate CO2 reduction rules, confirms signals that the new Commission is indeed quite receptive to business demands.

Coming hot on the heels of von der Leyen’s Competitiveness Compass, the business roundtable could lay the groundwork for turning some of the Compass’s pledges into immediate policy proposals. This could include the creation of an ad hoc favourable regulatory regime for “small mid-caps,” according to the agenda seen by Euractiv.

Corporate representation dwarfing NGOs, trade unions

It is no coincidence that the provisional guest list for next week’s meeting is particularly heavy on the corporate universe, starting with powerful trade associations such as the European Round Table for Industrialists, Business Europe, EuroChamber, the American Chamber to the EU, the European Banking Federation, and Fuels Europe.

The banking sector will be widely represented, with Allianz and Deutsche Bank of Germany, Societe Generale of France, Generali, Intesa San Paolo of Italy, and BBVA of Spain, among the sector giants.

Meanwhile, major energy companies will include French conglomerates Total Energies and ENGIE, Italy’s ENI, Spain’s Moeve – formerly known as Cepsa – and US multinational ExxonMobil.

Conversely, the food, drink and consumer goods sector – one of the sectors most affected by the supply chain legislation – is barely represented, with only US giant Pepsico on the list of invitees.

Indeed, the list excludes some of the most influential players in the sector, like multinational giants Nestlé, Mars, Ferrero and Unilever, who have recently urged the Commission to ensure that any omnibus proposal is limited to streamlining duplication rather than renegotiating rules.

An industry source close to the matter said their exclusion does not bode well for those concerned that the Commission’s forthcoming simplification proposals will go far beyond streamlining efforts and pave the way for watering down legislation.

The talks will also involve civil society and labour representatives, including the European Trade Union Confederation and NGOs such as ShareAction, Human Rights Watch, and the WWF.

In total, however, the list includes 58 business sector invitees compared to just 10 NGOs.

(DE)