Germany: Environmental Law

Die Europäische Chemikalienagentur hat den Entwurf einer Stellungnahme zur umfassenden Beschränkung von PFAS-Chemikalien veröffentlicht und eine 60-tägige öffentliche Konsultation eingeleitet.

For more than three years, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and Member State institutions have been developing a comprehensive, group-wide restriction of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)...

Germany is poised to fundamentally transform its corporate liability regime by quadrupling maximum fines and, for the first time, codifying statutory sentencing criteria that expressly recognize internal investigations and compliance measures as mandatory mitigating factors. The reforms, embedded within an EU environmental directive implementation, will apply across all corporate offenses and establish clear legal requirements for how companies must respond to suspected misconduct.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances ("PFAS") regulation in Germany is accelerating, with authorities increasingly relying on existing waste, water, and environmental criminal law, rather than waiting for new PFAS-specific statutes. Parallel EU measures are reinforcing this trend.

Germany's proposed reset of its renewable energy support framework aims to promote a more appealing investment environment in 2026...

EU Commission Approves Public Compensation Payments to Power Plant Operators Under State Aid Rules...

In our briefing German energy transition: Potential for investors we gave a detailed overview of the opportunities and risks of the energy transition in Germany for domestic and foreign investors.

As we noted in our previous CSRD briefing, 2024 saw a dizzying number of changes for companies in scope of this landmark sustainability reporting regulation.

On 16 December 2024, the Council of the European Union formally approved the new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), following its adoption by the European Parliament on 24 April 2024.