By Chris Jones - 24th October 2005
More than 200 EU laws will be scrapped, rewritten or replaced under the European Commission’s latest plans to reduce red tape.
But Enterprise Commissioner Günter Verheugen stressed that the changes would not mean watering down existing legislation.
“This is not about less Europe, it’s about better Europe,” he said.
“We are not putting EU policy objectives, such as environment or consumer protection, into doubt. By simplifying, we reach the same goals with more effective means.”
Some 70 or so pending regulations were scrapped earlier this month after the commission decided they had been awaiting approval for too long.
The EU has more than 90,000 pages of regulations and directives, known in Brussels as the ‘acquis’, and around 15,000 pages will be affected by the simplification process, which will last until 2008.
The aim is to make life easier for companies in order to stimulate growth in the flagging European economy, and Brussels has consulted widely with national governments, trade associations and lobby groups.
Twenty of the 25 commission departments will be affected, with agriculture, transport and financial services likely to see the most changes.
Varied approach
The acquis will be simplified in various different ways.
Some laws will be scrapped altogether, because they are now considered unnecessary or have become irrelevant or obsolete – such as 1968 directive on how many knots are allowed in cuts of wood.
Three directives from the 1980s and 1990s on computerised airline reservation systems are now considered to be obsolete while 28 of the 56 directives on car parts will be repealed because they are covered by other international standards.
Other laws will be changed by merging existing regulations. For example, the 44 directives covering cosmetic manufacturing standards will be turned into one harmonised law.
Various regulations governing the levels of radiation in food and the standards for car road worthiness tests are among the others to be harmonised.
But the vast majority of the regulations will be both amended and harmonised - a process called ‘recasting’ by the commission.
For example, the various directives covering accounting standards will be merged into one document and amended to take into account new rules for small businesses.
Some of the laws will also be recast to take advantage of new technology. For example, companies required to report to various national health and safety authorities at different intervals will now be allowed to report to one single body at the same time via email.
The commission has also called for a simpler approach to new regulation, with greater involvement from external bodies such as standards organisations or industry associations.
Rules that have been simplified without any changes to their substance could be quickly approved by national governments and MEPs, Verheugen said.
But in areas where new legislation will be needed as part of the simplification process, he called for a greater understanding of the need to keep things as simple as possible.
“The commission can only make proposals on how to simplify; the decision-making, and hence the responsibility to deliver, lies with member states and the European Parliament.”
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