The new report, Permission to Pollute, reveals how the European Commission is taking a chainsaw to permitting rules for energy and industrial infrastructure. This is part of a wider deregulatory push driven by some of Europe’s most polluting industries. Although the EU presents this agenda as the “simplification” of permitting laws, in practice, it risks eroding the hard-won social and environmental protections that underpin these rules.

Since European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, took up her second term in office, permitting rules have come under sustained attack from Big Tech, the fossil fuel industry, and mining lobby groups. What’s more, under labels such as “strategic” or “overriding public interest”, harmful projects are increasingly able to side-step normal permitting procedures. But who decides what sort of projects enjoy the label?

Documents obtained by CEO expose how major polluters have lobbied for easier access to permits – and public subsidies – for polluting infrastructure projects. They reveal how the European Commission has actively invited industry players to shape its permitting deregulation agenda. Europe risks not only living with more pollution but paying polluters to create it.

Some of the key industry demands being delivered include:

• fast-tracked permitting for industrial and energy infrastructure, side-lining democratic participation;
• simpler, quicker environmental assessments, meaning less protection;
• more dirty projects classed as ‘strategic’ or ‘public interest’ and therefore getting special treatment in permitting processes, elevated above environmental or social concerns;
• water protection and nature laws opened up to be weakened.

alternative video upload: https://streamable.com/e/2bqle4

alternative video upload: https://streamable.com/e/1w8ug8

Source with context: https://x.com/_Liah_M_/status/2053090684932907507

alternative video upload: https://streamable.com/e/phu4q7

Source: this angry person

Imperialist EU doesn't want peace, only to spread russophobia, fear, and war

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/8431132

cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/47588

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez asked the European Commission on Wednesday to block compliance with US sanctions against the International Criminal Court over its arrest warrants against Israeli leaders accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Last February, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order sanctioning the ICC, citing its warrants in November 2024 for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant.

The ICC said at the time that the sanctions were meant to "harm its independent and impartial judicial work," potentially restricting officials’ access to US-linked property, services, travel, banking, and financial transactions, as they investigate widespread human rights violations and accusations of genocide during the more than two-year military campaign, which has resulted in the deaths of at least 72,000 Palestinians according to official estimates.

In a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday, Sánchez called for the immediate activation of the European Union's Blocking Statute, which is designed to protect European citizens from the effects of foreign sanctions.

"Spain does not look the other way," Sánchez said in a post to social media. "Sanctioning those who defend international justice puts the entire human rights system at risk."

"The EU cannot remain idle in the face of this persecution," he continued. "That is why, today, we ask the commission to activate the Blocking Statute, to protect the independence of the International Criminal Court and the United Nations, and their actions to end the genocide in Gaza."

In addition to the ICC, Sánchez said that the commission should also shield Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur for the Palestinian territories, whom the Trump administration also sanctioned in July, claiming that her stark criticisms of Israel's actions in Gaza helped to "prompt" the ICC investigation.

Following the announcement, Albanese issued a message of thanks to Sánchez over social media.

"Gracias, Presidente Sánchez," she wrote. "For your words, for your principled stance, and for trying to steer Europe away from the abyss."

From Common Dreams via This RSS Feed.

cross-posted from: https://lemmygrad.ml/post/11532321

Conitnuing on from here:

https://lemmygrad.ml/post/11502106

Kinda related to this set of questions from my last post:

Not sure what else to say except:

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• What trans organizations and gender-affirming services can I access in Spain?

• Any organizations or services for Autistic folk like me?

• How should I go about starting veganism?

• What are good ways to build muscle now fast?

• Any BIPOC orgs in Spain?

• Communist or leftist orgs in Spain?

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Anyway, I'm looking into the first one in particular.