Revision of the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED 2.0) - a BusinessEurope position paper

BusinessEurope supports the EU Green Deal’s objectives and stands ready to support its implementation. The high energy prices, the disrupted supply chains and high inflation pose existential difficulties to companies who have already been under pressure in the last years due to the COVID-19 crisis. This dramatic situation calls for an EU policy framework which mitigates these severe challenges while supporting the necessary industrial transformation required for delivering the long-term objectives of the Green Deal. The proposed revision of the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED 2.0) departs from these imperatives.

Furthermore, while we appreciate the European Commission’s intentions to streamline the directive, promote innovation and reduce emissions, we do not see the current proposal as reaching these goals. On the contrary, the new proposed requirements lead to legal uncertainties, risk to prolong and complicate the permit procedures, and undermine the ongoing industrial transformation. Proceeding with the IED 2.0 as proposed would divert the necessary financial and human resources from the transition as not considering the operating periods nor the investment cycles of industrial plants. Also, BusinessEurope is concerned that the Commission has decided to put such a proposal forward at a moment when the entire sustainability legislative framework (e.g., chemicals, ecodesign for sustainable products, energy and climate legislations) is under revision: the expected environmental benefits are not properly assessed and likely to be overstated, whilst the risk of overlapping regulation and inconsistencies is high.

This paper offers a brief summary of where industry concerns lay. It follows the structure of the Commission’s policy options.