Patricia Hewitt takes the Michael

Anthony Butcher · 25-11-2004, 01:35 AM

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspap...373476,00.html

Quote:

AFTER nearly half a century of pumping out more than a hundred thousand rules and regulations, the European Union will today ignite its first “bonfire of the diktats”.

In an attempt to staunch the tide of red tape, Patricia Hewitt, the Trade and Industry Secretary, and her EU counterparts will agree to simplify and abolish items of legislation, rather than multiplying and complicating them.

With the EU having produced 101,811 regulations since Britain joined in 1973, the scale of U-turn is small: just 15 directives will be affected — from an original list of 300 — and most are relatively arcane. But after years of talking about more flexible economies and doing nothing, the fact that any deregulation at all is taking place is seen by British diplomats as an historic turning point.

“We need concrete action rather than warm words, so we are pleased to see this first batch of regulations up for revision,” a British government spokeswoman said. “But this is just a start — we need to drive progress in this area.”

An historic turning point? Perhaps we should have a national holiday in celebration? :roll: I am surprised that they had the nerve to even announce this.

Anthony Butcher · 25-11-2004, 01:38 AM

However, it produced some useful facts:

Quote:

BURNING ISSUES

There are 80,000 pages of EU regulations

Between Britain joining the EU in 1973 and 2002, Brussels produced 101,811 regulations and directives

The European Commission initiates between 3,500 and 4,000 new business regulations and directives a year

Forty per cent of UK business regulations come from Brussels

Only 30 per cent of new regulations are assessed for what impact they have on business

EU regulations cost roughly 4 per cent of European GDP

40% of regulations from Brussels? I have heard numbers as high as 80%. Perhaps there is a difference between regulations actually handed out by the EU and regulations that are brought in by the British government to comply with EU laws?

mkpdavies · 25-11-2004, 01:48 AM

Quote:

With the EU having produced 101,811 regulations since Britain joined in 1973, the scale of U-turn is small: just 15 directives will be affected — from an original list of 300

Talk about giving and inch and taking a mile. 15 out of 300 directives are effected, and they try to make out this is good?

Another nail in the EU coffin, we need to get out, pronto!

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