France, Feb. 26 -- The EU on Wednesday proposed paring back its environmental rules to give businesses breathing room faced with US and Chinese competition -- while still vowing to decarbonise Europe's economy.

The European Union's focus has pivoted to competitivity due to concerns about sluggish economic growth, a sharp move away from EU chief Ursula von der Leyen's first term that focused on tackling climate change.

Trump's election

The issue has taken on acute urgency with US President Donald Trump pushing an America First strategy that risks a trade war with the EU.

"Our climate and social goals do not change," von der Leyen said as she promised a sustained push to cut "red tape" during a speech to industry leaders in the Belgian ...