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The European Commission launched the European (EU) Green Deal in 2019. The EU Green Deal is a package of policy initiatives, one of which is a commitment to tackle false environmental claims by requiring that consumers receive reliable, comparable, and verifiable information to enable them to make more sustainable decisions and reduce the risk of greenwashing.

The Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition (“EmpCo Directive”) was approved in March 2024 and amends the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive. The proposed European Union Green Claims Directive (“Green Claims Directive”) was tabled by the European Commission in March 2023. Both Directives aim to bridge the gap caused by the current varying standards for validating environmental claims and the lack of clear criteria to tackle their unreliability.

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Download our full guide to staying on top of greenwashing legislation in the EU

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Key Areas of the EmpCo Directive and the EU Green Claims Directive

Key areas of the EU Claims Directive

Explore the full scale of what’s needed to prepare for the EU Green Claims Directive. Download the guide.

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Kurt Haegeman is the global chair of Baker McKenzie's Consumer Goods and Retail Industry (CG&R) Group, and a partner in Baker McKenzie's EU Competition & Regulatory Affairs Practice in Brussels.
Kurt is also co-Managing Partner of the Belgian Offices.

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Geert Bovy is a partner in the in the Brussels office and heads the International Commercial & Trade Practice Group in EMEA and Belgium. He joined Baker McKenzie in 2001. Geert was a teaching assistant in procedural law at KULeuven from 2006 to 2009.

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Elisabet is a Senior Associate experienced Public Law/ Regulatory lawyer in Baker McKenzie's Barcelona office. She has more than 10 years' experience advising heavyweight companies on public law and regulatory issues. Elisabet advises both national and multinational companies on public procurement, administrative compliance, license schemes, environmental, ESG, regulatory, and products-related matters (circular economy and sustainability requirements, green claims, consumer protection issues, etc), including assistance before regulators, authorities, and courts. In addition, she regularly advises private companies on regulatory issues related to business expansion and the opening of new plants/premises. She also advises on litigation and trials related to the areas of specialization. She has extensive experience in the consumer & goods and life sciences sectors. Regarding the life sciences sector, she offers advice to Spanish and foreign life sciences companies and represent them before authorities and courts regarding public procurement issues, price & reimbursement procedures, authorization and registration, promotion and advertising of medicines, and other regulatory issues related to medicinal products, medical devices, cosmetics, food supplements and other foods for particular nutritional uses. She also professor at Pompeu Fabra University, UPF Barcelona School of Management and ESADE Law School in the field of Public Law. She regularly participates in publications and articles related to her specialty.

Author

Clotilde Guyot-RĂ©chard is a partner in the Paris office focusing on complex litigation and internal investigations.
Admitted to the Paris and New York Bars, Clotilde represents clients in domestic and international disputes.