EU: Ombudsman opens inquiry against European Commission's alleged non-compliance with Better Regulation Guidelines in preparing Omnibus proposal
"Scrutiny over “Omnibus” proposal grows as EU Ombudsman opens inquiry after NGOs’ complaint", 23 May 2025
NGOs have welcomed the EU Ombudsman’s decision to launch an inquiry into how the European Commission prepared its first ‘Omnibus Simplification Package,’ following a complaint they submitted.
The EU Ombudsman has announced today the opening of an inquiry into the Commission’s alleged non-compliance with its Better Regulation Guidelines in preparing the so-called Omnibus proposal. She will conduct an inspection of certain documents in the Commission’s file and meet with relevant Commission Staff before 18 June.
This follows a formal complaint submitted by a coalition of eight NGOs regarding the Commission’s flawed decision-making process underpinning the Omnibus Simplification Package which seeks to amend key corporate sustainability laws, such as the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).
NGOs argue that the Commission bypassed a proper impact assessment and excluded broad public consultation, deviating from its own procedural standards established in the Better Regulation Guidelines, and breached the essential procedural requirement under the European Climate Law to conduct a climate consistency assessment. NGOs allege this constitutes maladministration...
More information, including the status of the inquiry and it's outcome can be followed here.