Laura Otýpková
Lawyer and Head of the Responsible Energy Team
In December Frank Bold team co-organised a meeting of NGOs and representatives of the Member States of the European Union. The all-day meeting in Brussels was prepared in cooperation with our colleagues from European Environmental Bureau and Client Earth.
Our lawyer Laura Otýpková discussed the possible ways of improvement of the culture of regulating industrial activities with experts from Sweden, Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. This topic is very relevant because of the ongoing industrial emissions directive review process which is being carried out by the European Commission.
We shared our insight into the topics of setting of conditions in integrated permits, derogations from emission limits or public participation and access to information with the experts. We discussed also the good practice, which was presented by the representatives of European member states.
The European Union is sending a clear signal: climate policy is no longer just an environmental vision. It is becoming a core pillar of economic strategy. The latest State of the Energy Union 2025 and Climate Action Progress Report 2025 confirm that competitiveness is now Brussels’ top priority. In this framework, decarbonisation is positioned as a tool to strengthen Europe’s technological sovereignty, stability, and energy affordability.
With the final revision of the CSRD landing only in mid-December, many companies spent 2025 navigating a moving goal post. Yet despite the uncertainty, some clear lessons have emerged from those already reporting under the new rules. So what did companies actually struggle with, and what did they take away from the experience?
Less than a week apart, the end of the year brought two developments in the case of the impact of the Turów mine on the environment in Czechia. Both developments are in line with the long-term efforts of Frank Bold experts to make information on the state of groundwater available and to mitigate the overall impact of mining.
