Hattmannsdorfer under pressure: step back for Austria's environmental policy!

Hattmannsdorfer under pressure: step back for Austria's environmental policy!

At the first appearance of the new Minister of Economy Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer in Brussels on Wednesday there is a lot of excitement. Greenpeace has brought sharp criticism of his demands, which want to lower the sustainability reporting and want to suspend the Green Claims directive. These suggestions could not only have serious consequences for people and nature, but also punish sustainable companies, as the environmental organization emphasizes. "Hatmannsdorfer swings an environmental policy demolition bulb," said Ursula Bittner from Greenpeace Austria and warned that such measures would be a massive step backwards in environmental protection, as was from the platform apa.at

Hattmannsdorfer who appeals to a policy that supposedly pursues the reduction of bureaucracy and strengthening competitiveness could bring companies that have already been committed to a sustainable economy. Instead, Greenpeace calls for legal framework conditions that inspire companies to take responsibility for their actions and create equal competitive conditions. The demands of Hattmannsdorfer, such as the suspension of the Lief chain law, could also equate a potential relapse into old, environmentally harmful practices, which, according to reports from ooe.orf.at

In addition, Hattmannsdorfer's statement to "stop industrial migration" is thrown into the room, which is important in the context of critical reactions to its environmental policy. Such a strategy could create unrest in European partner countries and increase the pressure on companies that want to change. The current developments raise questions about what the future orientation of Austrian economic policy will look like at Hattmannsdorfer, and arouse concerns about environmental organizations and companies.