With the environmental omnibus presented in December 2025, the EU Commission is sending a signal for reducing bureaucracy. The deletions in the Industrial Emissions Directive can provide noticeable relief for German industry, as can faster environmental impact assessments. However, there is potential for more. For example, the changes to the environmental management system in the Industrial Emissions Directive need to go further. The Water Framework Directive should be amended in the short term in a further omnibus procedure, as the good water status provided for in the Directive will not be achieved by 2027. This creates considerable legal uncertainty for authorities and companies, which needs to be eliminated quickly.