EU Council: adoption of a position to fast-track environmental assessments, raising concerns among NGOs

The Council set its position on a Commission's proposal to simplify and accelerate environmental assessments procedures, including single points of contact, digitalisation, and streamlined timelines, on 30 September 2026.

This proposal is part of the Omnibus VIII simplification package, which aims to reduce administrative costs and burdens while maintaining the EU's standards on environmental protection.

This package comprises targeted measures amending six legislative acts :
• a regulation on speeding up environmental assessments (RSEA);
• a regulation and a directive on simplification and reduction of administrative burden;
• an amendment to the directive on the infrastructure for spatial information (INSPIRE);
• a regulation and a directive suspending the application of the rules on the…