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East Midlands Liberal DemocratsBill Newton Dunn and the Liberal Democrats - working for you across the East Midlands |
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"Blame Britain, not Brussels", says report
December 8, 2004 12:00 AM
Whitehall civil servants rather than Brussels-based Commissioners are responsible for many of the problems created by extra regulations, according to a new report published this week.
The length of EU rules can triple during the process of putting them on to the UK statute book, it is claimed, putting British competitiveness at risk. One of the most dramatic examples is Directive 2002/42/EC on the maximum levels of pesticide residues in certain foods. The original EU Directive consists of 1,167 words, while the Whitehall version comprises a massive 27,046 words!
Fault lies with the British habit of 'gold-plating' EU laws, unnecessarily adding bits to them that were never originally suggested, claims the European Movement in its pamphlet 'Regulation by Brussels? Myths and Challenges.'
EU directives set out the targets but leave it to national governments to decide how to achieve them in a 'proportional' manner. Britain is accused of being over-zealous in its interpretation of many of the rules.
East Midlands farmers, for example, are required to register the birth of calves within 27 days or face a penalty, but the same EU law applied in Spain gives farmers six months in which to comply.
Bill Newton Dunn, Liberal Democrat MEP for the East Midlands, said that civil servants were wrapping the rules in red tape and then blaming Brussels for the size of the package.
He commented:
"I know of butchers being told by the Foods Standards Agency that they must buy new equipment costing thousands of pounds if they want to dress meat for farmers' markets, but the EU rules amount to nothing more than the basic hygiene requirements taught to every student of domestic science!
"It's crazy and unnecessary, and it gives the European Union a bad reputation for no good reason at all. MPs in the House of Commons should be looking out for this and stopping it."
ENDS
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