European Union environmental reform faces million-signature protest

More than 1.2 million people have signed the ‘Hands off Nature’ campaign, protesting proposed European Union legislative reforms. The cross-border movement demands the preservation of existing environmental standards, laws, and regulations.

The campaign specifically targets ‘omnibus legislative procedures,’ which aim to simplify existing regulations to reduce bureaucracy and strengthen long-term competitiveness. Critics argue that these procedures lack impact assessments and could undermine critical protections, including the Habitats Directive, the Water Framework Directive, and regulations regarding environmental impact assessments.

As of mid-October, the highest number of signatures originated from the Netherlands with approximately 309,000, followed by Germany with over 228,000 and France with more than 105,000. The collected signatures are scheduled to be presented to the European Commission in Brussels on October 23 and to the German federal government in Berlin on October 28.