FEVE, the European container glass federation, welcomes the publication of the Environmental Omnibus and the Grids Package, recognising them as important steps toward streamlining environmental procedures and enabling Europe’s industrial decarbonisation.
As part of the Environmental Omnibus, FEVE particularly welcomes the easing of procedural requirements under the Industrial Emissions Directive, which have often slowed investment in furnace modernisation and emissions-reduction technologies. The Grids Package similarly accelerates permitting for electricity networks and storage infrastructure, which are essential for energy-intensive industries transitioning toward low-carbon production. Overall, these measures signal a more pragmatic approach to permitting and environmental processes — an approach Europe urgently needs to enable progress on industrial decarbonisation projects.
FEVE is however disappointed that this Simplification package does not include the technical adjustments needed to ensure full legal clarity and a proportionate approach to packaging minimisation in the Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulation. For glass packaging, this omission leaves a critical concern unresolved: distinctive shapes and features risk being considered as non-essential design elements, with direct consequences for brand recognition, the viability of many glass packaging formats and the competitiveness of essential European industrial value chains.
FEVE will therefore continue to engage closely with EU policymakers to ensure this issue is properly addressed through pragmatic adjustments to the PPWR, as well as through active participation in the forthcoming CEN standardisation process.