10 December 2025 – "The simplifications planned by the European Commission are urgently needed. They address key demands made by DIHK, particularly regarding reducing bureaucracy around industrial emissions, accelerating approval processes, and abolishing the SCIP database.

However, the European Commission simultaneously falls short of business expectations: especially in the EU Packaging Regulation, significant simplifications are required. Future initiatives, such as the EU Circular Economy Act and the planned REACH revision, must include further noticeable relief for businesses.

Growing environmental bureaucracy causes significant costs for companies and represents a major locational disadvantage. According to the recently published DIHK Environmental Barometer, one-third of businesses spend up to five hours per week solely on documentation requirements in the environmental area. In more than one-quarter of companies, the effort even exceeds eight hours weekly. Accordingly, expectations for the EU Environmental Omnibus are high."