The Belgian Presidency has 13 days to convince seven Member States (plus itself) that they can live with agreed Parliament-Council compromise text on a Commission proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on nature restoration. Failure to do so will likely mean the proposed law will fall. For supporters of the law, this will be seen as a major setback given the state of biodiversity within the EU. For detractors and those opposed, it will be seen as a push-back against “draconian” interference in the use of land, seas and marine environments for a range of economic activities.

While much of the media and political attention has been on the big picture issues identified in his Internal Market report including addressing regulatory burdens and coherence, there is much to glean from Enrico Letta´s report around the issue of regulatory proposal design and specifically the use of Impact Assessment (IA) within the Single Market. The key weaknesses identified are around stakeholder consultation – process, incorporation of contradictory views, as well as the complexity and sheer scope of the Better Regulation Tool Box.