The first term of the Von der Leyen Commission was defined by the green transition. Her second term as Commission President has shifted the focus to competitiveness. As part of this shift, the Commission has proposed a wide range of new laws aimed at ‘cutting red tape’. 

Many of the rules being simplified touch on green and human rights issues: from corporate due diligence on environmental and human rights standards, to rules on pesticides and data protection. This fits a broader pattern: EU policy priorities are moving away from sustainability and toward competitiveness. 

Most business groups welcome this shift. But civil society critics question whether it will actually work, and warn of social and environmental costs. This raises hard questions: Where’s the line between simplification and deregulation? Does boosting the EU’s competitiveness mean giving up on the green transition? And who bears the costs of this regulatory overhaul, at both the EU and national level? 

This event brings together experts from academia, public administration, and civil society to discuss the politics of cutting red tape. It is part of the lecture series ‘The Future of the EU Regulatory State’, organised by the Amsterdam Centre for European Studies (ACES).