The European Commission set off a political cluster bomb Friday when it suddenly declared it was killing a relatively minor rule on corporate greenwashing.
But why did killing this little-known law — which would force companies to back up environmental claims with verifiable evidence— cause such an almighty stink, and why now?
The answer may lie in months of rising pressure, in which right-wing forces have used their increased influence in Brussels to relentlessly chip away at EU green rules.
Leading this anti-green push has been the center-right European People’s Party, the largest force in the European Parliament. Often opposing it have been the remaining partners in the once-powerful, now-enfeebled centrist bloc that includes the center-left Socialists and Democrats, liberal Renew Group, and the Greens.
