At present, a lot of people and businesses feel uncomfortable with the European Union, which they suspect generates too much red tape and interferes when it doesn’t have to. We at the European Commission are determined to address these concerns. We know that, to be more effective, the EU needs public support. That means being big on big things and small on small things. In particular, we must remove unnecessary burdens on business in order to unleash jobs and growth.
In the most ambitious push to date, we have screened all EU legislation under our “REFIT” programme and have proposed ways to make EU law lighter, simpler and cheaper. The Commission has also consulted businesses across Europe on the top 10 burdens they face: many of the points made this week by British business leaders in their report on red tape were already covered in our own work. More than ever, we are making sure European regulations don’t overshoot the mark, that necessary rules are as lean and clear as possible, and that unnecessary or unbalanced legislation is avoided.
We also accept that political decisions need to be taken at the right level, as openly and as close to people as possible. This is a fundamental democratic principle. Not everything needs a European solution. Europe must focus on where it can add most value, and not meddle elsewhere.
Some want Europe to act in every conceivable area that affects people’s lives. But decisions should be taken at the right level. Existing EU legislation should be fit for purpose. Of course we need regulation in a single market of 28 states: EU laws often replace 28 sets of national legislation, cutting red tape. But new proposals must add value, avoid unnecessary burdens, and have a realistic chance of being agreed.
In the end, useless laws weaken necessary laws. And we simply cannot afford a framework that weakens Europe’s capacity to act where it matters.
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British business leaders put forward the case for EU reform © GOV.UK "We are now calling on you, as EU leaders, to ensure that EU regulation is focused on securing the competitiveness of European business, and to place the COMPETE principles at the heart of EU policy-making. And we urge you to demonstrate leadership by making a strong commitment at this week’s European Council to identify where the burden of regulation can be reduced to allow businesses to generate the growth that will benefit us all."
David Cameron spoke about the Business Taskforce report and GDP figures at his press conference in Brussels:
"The conclusions which you’ll see coming out of this European Council are once again very strong on deregulation: I think perhaps the strongest we’ve seen over many, many years. They call for a further, substantial set of actions on deregulation. They talk about setting up a proper score card so we can see how much regulation is being cut by, and I think you can see a sea change, really, of thinking here, in terms of what the Commission is going to do and the priority given to identifying and removing excessive regulation. So I think that is a success story; not just for Britain, but a success story for Europe, and I will keep pushing it."
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France resists British push to cut EU regulation: France subsequently expressed scepticism about Cameron's ideas, which include dropping proposed rules on food labelling. A French official said they were "too pro-business" and President François Hollande said simplifying rules meant different things to different people. "We are in favour of everything that lightens (the load), as long as the protection of consumers, workers and the environment is guaranteed", Hollande told a news conference. Further reporting © Reuters
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