Climate and sustainability, France wants a moratorium on European standards

The Prime Minister of France has announced his intention to introduce a moratorium on a series of sustainability directives.

Economies who hesitate, too many businesses in difficulty, far right which increases its consensus everywhere.Faced with this scenario, for many the solution is to abandon the few, insufficient progress made on the environmental front.The new one European Commission, although directed by Ursula von der Leyen, appears oriented towards a much less marked incisiveness on ecological issues.The Draghi report, requested by the same executive body as Brussels, explained that the environmental regulations they risk being too great a financial and bureaucratic burden for European businesses.Last in order of time - but particularly important both for the political weight of his nation and for the terms used - was the new prime minister of France, Michel Barnier.

For the Prime Minister of France these are "dangerous" and "counterproductive" rules

The head of the government of Paris he announced in fact the desire to introduce “a moratorium” on a series of regulations.Including the CSRD directive, which requires reporting to companies starting next January, in order to disclose their environmental, social and governance performances (Exg) and the risks of sustainability to which they are exposed.And also including the regulations necessary for ecological transition.

The reason?According to Barnier, it's about rules “dangerous” And “counterproductive”.“This applies in particular to some European texts, the scope of which should be re-examined,” he added.Such a position represents a huge problem, considering that for example the CSRD directive represents a pillar of the transformation of European businesses, to make it more sustainable.Furthermore, politically, this is the first time that a French head of government explicitly questions the Green Deal European.

A contradictory message sent to European businesses

It must be said that from a legal point of view we must ask ourselves what a moratorium would consist of.The European law in fact, it provides that directives must be mandatorily implemented by each member country, although unlike the regulations it's not a question of introducing them tout court:the directives, in fact, indicate an objective and then leave it up to individual states how to achieve it.This is where rules and quibbles could creep in, although it remains a difficult process:just recently the Court of Justice of the European Union initiated proceedings against seventeen member countries, precisely because they have not implemented the CSRD.

However, the political fact remains.In fact, the risk is that companies will receive a contradictory message, suggesting that it is right to lash out against these regulations.On the contrary, a survey by the PwC company showed that the majority of European companies do not consider the CSRD directive as bureaucratic ballast, but rather as an opportunity.

Postponing the ecological transition actually means increasing costs

THE climate changes, Furthermore, they require immediate and drastic action.Countering the regulations that impose an ecological transition means worsening the crisis that derives from global warming, impacts and even costs.Since, as is known, the cost of inaction it will certainly be higher than the cost of the action.Assuming that the latter is really just a burden and not a possible driving force for new, different and more sustainable growth.